Footprints in the Sand
by Miss Soupy
Summary: multi-chapter Sometimes what you need the most has been behind you all along; like footprints in the sand. UlquiHime
1. Across the Universe

A/N: This is a multichapter fic focusing on the best pairing in bleach: ULQUIHIME. Actually, it's sort of like a FST and fic combined, though mostly a fic inspired by different songs...whatever you want to call it. Most of this is based directly on the manga (which I do not own), with some added thoughts, scenes, eyesmex, etc. I am trying to make this as canon as possible, because, well, UlquiHime already has plenty of manga proof, doesn't it? I promise the chapters will get longer eventually, this is just a prologue type of thing. Oh, if you are interested in hearing the music behind the chapters, you will have to go to my livejournal page. There is a link in my profile.

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**Across the Universe**

Orihime put her hand up, shielding her eyes from the morning sun as she looked up at the sky.

"Oh! That one definitely looks like a duck riding a bicycle!" Orihime said excitedly, pointing at the sky.

Tatsuki squinted doubtfully before replying, "I don't quite see it...well, maybe if I turn my head, it sort of looks like duck, or is it a penguin?"

Mimicking Tatsuki, Orihime squinted at the cloud for a moment. "I hope he watches out, it looks like he might crash into the hippopotamus over there."

Tatsuki studied the worry on her friends face a moment before erupting into laughter. "Y-your imagination never ceases to amaze me, Orihime."

Blinking, Orihime offered her friend a curious look. "Is it too much? Sometimes I think so, especially when I talk so much that people get that glazed look, or they have that tiny twitch, you know? The one at the edges there, sometimes at the corner of their eye or mouth, or both and then they make those excuses like, 'I think I left the stove on' or 'I need to feed my plant', and it just seems so odd that suddenly their plant is hungry. Are some plants really that demanding?"

Tatsuki, the good friend that she was, patted Orihime's arm comfortingly. "No Orihime, it's not too much. If someone acts like that then, well, just don't worry about it. You are who you are, and you shouldn't change for anybody."

At this, Orihime couldn't help but smile. Tatsuki really did understand her. Even if Orihime had left her to go to Soul Society and have her big adventure saving Kuchiki-san, Tatsuki had been here for her when she returned. She was _always_ there for her.

"You know, sometimes it feels like we have the same conversations we had when we were little." Tatsuki said, looking into the sky again, a whimsical look on her face.

It was true, Orihime thought. They had always walked to school together and looked at the clouds and talked about _anything_. These days were truly special to her. Ichigo seemed to have perked up since Rukia was safe, and all was calm. Sado was his usual quiet self, but she could now eat lunch with him and not feel so silly when he didn't say much, because that was just how Sado-kun was. And Ishida, though he seemed sad for some reason (Orihime thought he must miss Rukia, that dress was very nice after all), surely had to be glad to be back in sowing club.

She never wanted these precious times to end.

"Mm," Orihime agreed with a wide smile. "I hope we can always do this."

It had been so simple then, to look into the future and see it so unchanging for them.

_And she sang, nothings gonna change my world._

_

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_A/N: Please read and review, I love seeing what everyone thinks. Like I said, there will be longer chapters later. I have quite a bit of this written out already, so it won't take too long to update. Thank you for reading!

P.S. Special thanks to my wonderful beta!

-Miss Soupy


	2. Nephilim

A/N: Sorry it's another short one, but things are just getting started. If you want to listen to the song, you will have to visit my livejournal page :)

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**Nephilim**

It was a clear day then too, when they arrived.

Or at least it was, until countless souls filled the sky and bodies filled the streets. There had been only two of them, though she had been expecting many more due to the sheer amount of damage. Whatever they were, they were strong, much stronger than either she or Sado-kun.

The two boney _things_ certainly looked the part of bad guys as well. There was the small one; he was definitely the brains. He was quiet and cold, emotionless and robotic, and if it hadn't been for his cold words towards Sado-kun, she might have felt pity for his sad appearance. The large one, then, had to be the brawn. He was loud, destructive, and had little care for his surroundings. She could tell he was a creature that thrived on the pain of others. Orihime knew all of this, knew she was weaker, and also knew she was the only thing standing between them and a dying Tatsuki and Sado.

_Santen Kesshun. _

Her shield cracked under the weight of a heavy finger, and she stood as her last defense shattered before her.

_Souten Kisshun._

The large one, with the boney mask around his jaw and head, hesitated at the use of her powers, but Orihime wasn't thinking about him; instead she was summoning her feeble courage.

_Kurosaki-kun is on his way, just a little longer and then things will be alright._

Her will was strong in that moment and she could feel it bubbling inside her, ready to burst out.

_I will do this._

She extended her arms out in front of her.

_I can do this._

Her hands snapped up as if to hold them back.

_I think I can do this._

They were so_ powerful_. Their energy made the air far too heavy and her body tingled, alarming her of danger.

_I hope I can do this._

She hung her head, her breathing becoming rapid as her heart thundered in her ears.

_Can I really do this?_

Her throat was so dry and doubt was clouding her mind. By now, the 'what ifs' had begun to form, eating away at what had once been a strong will. It was what always happened, the reason why she could never be strong when it counted. Her doubt overpowered her.

By the time she had tried to shake it all away, Tsubaki was left with a fraction of the power he should have had, but she could no longer hesitate.

_Koten Zanshun!_

And though she had wanted to do it _so_ _badly_, to save Kurosaki-kun from the stress, to save her friends, to _finally_ save herself…she had _failed_.

And moments later, while she lay there broken and staring up at the sky, she felt the edges of her world begin to crumble.

_My released wings scatter my wishes towards this destroyed world to a sky full of prayers._

_

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_A/N: Please tell me what you think, reviews are much appreciated! Thank you chu for beta-ing X3

--Miss Soupy


	3. Spies

A/N: Back with the next chapter. I wanted to show Ulquiorra's interest in Orihime but couldn't in the last chapter because it was Orihime-centric. Even though this scene didn't take place, Ulquiorra's interest is canon, so I was able to stick close to the manga. As before, if you want the song you can go to my livejournal.

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**Spies**

Ulquiorra waited patiently as Aizen once again reviewed the information he had gathered from his visit to the human world. It was quiet, thankfully, now that all of the others had been dismissed. Their bickering, Grimmjow's especially, was tiring to say the least. He always seemed to choose the path opposite to the one Ulquiorra calculated to be correct; however, whether it was due to personal reasons or just part of Grimmjow's nature, he wasn't sure.

Oddly, the subject of the fight had been the very thing Ulquiorra had been least interested in. The fake shinigami was abnormal, he knew, but odd power fluctuations weren't as intriguing as the other ability he had witnessed.

_Time reversal, spatial renewal, or perhaps something completely different?_

As if guessing his thoughts, Aizen spoke, "You are intrigued by her power, aren't you Ulquiorra?" His eyes moved to look at the arrancar, a cold amusement held within them. "Because you cannot identify it."

Ulquiorra blinked slowly though was unsurprised at the shinigami's deduction. "I have never seen this power before."

Aizen, looking back at the newly made recording, rested his head on his hand. "I have seen powers similar to this, though never held by a human."

He was silent again, and Ulquiorra knew better than ask further. Aizen liked to seem very open to the arrancar, but in truth he only revealed what he wished, to further his own objectives and nothing more.

"You did well Ulquiorra," Aizen finally said, a smile on his face that made Ulquiorra wary. "Though, it seems very odd for you to easily order someone's death, especially someone you did not fully understand at the time. Or was it a ploy to make sure Kurosaki-kun fought with everything he had?"

Without hesitation, Ulquiorra answered, "I knew Yammy would not notice the shinigami's arrival so I was certain he would fail in killing the woman. However, I knew I was to observe him at full strength, which, I deduced, could be accomplished using the threat on his companions' lives."

Moving his hands to rest upon the arms of the chair that served as his throne, Aizen nodded. "It was good then, that she was spared, for I believe I may have a use for this girl."

At this, Ulquiorra raised his eyebrows. It seemed almost absurd that Aizen would find use of a human, even one that had mysterious abilities. Though, he had to admit, he would not fully regret another opportunity to observe her. The information could prove useful later.

"Her abilities may have potential," Ulquiorra agreed, but surprisingly his statement aroused a chuckle from his leader.

"Her powers are interesting, but it is not entirely what I had in mind for her." Pausing the recording, Aizen rose and moved closer to the screen. Upon it was the image of the girl standing protectively in front of the two humans lying on the ground. "No, there is only one use for a girl like this. You see, I knew a girl like her, back in Soul Society…my vice-captain, to be exact. She followed my orders without thought or doubt, trusted me unconditionally, and was so loyal she turned her sword against someone that was like family to her. A girl like this…Inoue Orihime, is very much like her. She is someone who can be easily…manipulated."

Green eyes flickered between the image on the screen and the back of his leader, unreadable but alert. He watched as Aizen turned away to finally address him with a smile, the same type of smile a father might give to his child, warm and withholding any harmful intent. Aizen did well at acting trustworthy.

"I want you to bring this girl to me, Ulquiorra. She will fit in nicely here, I think."

Ulquiorra stiffened reflexively, a chill creeping up his spine, but hid his discomfort in a bow. "As you wish Aizen-sama. Shall I leave for the human world now?"

"No, not yet," Aizen was already returning to his seat. "There are a few things that I wish to allow to…play out, for now. I will notify you when I believe the time is right."

"Yes Aizen-sama," Ulquiorra replied, bowing once again before allowing himself to leave.

Ulquiorra left the presence of the man who would stand in heaven, an odd feeling plaguing him. Something had stirred just then; some hollowish pride that usually slept deep within him had suddenly awakened. Usually he ignored such feelings. What purpose did they have besides causing him distraction? There truly was no way out for him, not now, not ever.

The reminder that he, on any level, was no less a captive than the woman he was going to bring to his world, well, was better off buried and never dwelled on.

_I awake to see that no one is free, we're all fugitives..._

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A/N: Thank you very much for reading, I hope you will review! (pretty please?) Lots of love to my chu for beta-ing3

--Miss Soupy


	4. Everlong

A/N: Back again! I'm pretty proud I have been updating so faithfully *sparkles* I'm still chugging away at writing this thing too, its pretty long so far. My song choice for this chapter is Everlong by the Foo Fighters. It has that dark, creepy feel to it that was perfect for this scene. If you want to listen to the song feel free to visit my livejournal page. Otherwise you can look it up and listen to it on youtube. :)

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**Everlong **

A small ripple within the darkness alerted Ulquiorra to the opening of the interdimensional tunnel of waste that connected Soul Society with the human world. Under normal circumstances, no creature, neither shinigami, nor hollow, nor human was allowed to pass through, but it could be used to transport a human back to their world as long as those forever moving walls were stilled. It was what he was counting on to make his move against the girl with minimal resistance.

He had to ensure that she was trapped with no way out and that she understood his way was the _only_ way. Aizen had seemed confident that she wouldn't hesitate, but he wanted to make sure that absolutely nothing could go wrong.

Perhaps it was because he was dealing with a creature he didn't, even now, fully understand, but he felt a need to allow no room for failure of any kind. He certainly had the element of surprise, which would put himself in a position of control from the start.

There were only two shinigami accompanying her, and after he had made his presence known, he disposed of them quickly, asserting that he was not opposed to using force if necessary. He had, however, been surprised at how quickly she had recognized the seriousness of the situation and had tried to prevent harm to the two. She had looked so _pained _when they fell, as if she had suffered equally. Ulquiorra had never known someone so adverse to witnessing the pain of others. Truthfully, he himself did not find it an attractive thing to witness, but in his world it was as common as breathing. It hardly seemed noteworthy. But his attacks had forced the girl into using her powers and rewarded him with what he really had wanted to see. Her abilities, whatever they were, seemed to have grown since he last saw her, for the rate at which the flesh of the two fallen pieced back together appeared quicker somehow.

Suprisingly enough, he even rewarded her with a compliment on her powers, though he knew it was the last thing she cared to hear from him. How could she know that he _never _gave true compliments to anyone? But it wasn't until he had gotten down to business and told her of the situation that he saw the despair clearly in her eyes. Ulquiorra watched as all hope drained from her body and left nothing but pain.

Though, he realized with a start, it was not a pain born of fear for herself, but pain out of fear for her friends.

_An alien thing_, he thought, _this feeling of friendship_.

There were few arrancar that displayed such loyalty to one another. Usually, loyalty of any kind was not free, but instead bonds were traded for different advantages. Aizen then, had been correct about her loyalty, and how it was something that could be used to manipulate a person. Once again, he realized her situation paralleled that of the arrancar, including himself, but before the unease could completely sink in, he refocused.

"It is your own hands that hold the rope to the guillotine positioned above the necks of your friends," he told her, looking unblinkingly into her wide innocent eyes.

Both knew that the guillotine did not disappear, but would simply move above her own neck instead. Ulquiorra knew that any creature put in this situation would come down to two conclusions: one could either fight or one could accept defeat. Either way she would lose, her own life perhaps, or that of her friends. For her there was no win in this situation. So when he saw her mouth set in a determined line, he knew he had her. She would be a martyr for the sake of her friends. She would allow her world to implode in on itself for them, but it seemed she would do so with her head held high.

Ulquiorra watched her, intrigued once again at her behavior while still not understanding it. It was as he had predicted, as Aizen had predicted, but why someone would ever do such a thing still escaped him.

"Come with me, woman," he commanded quietly, coldly, his eyes eerily bright in the darkness of the tunnel.

He supposed he had time to discover more, that is, if she didn't break first. The sun had set in his hands, and only time would tell if his darkness would destroy its light forever.

_Come down, and waste away with me. Down with me…_

_

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_A/N: Well there you have it, the sun has set into Ulquiorra's hands. Next chapter, as I'm sure you have guessed, will be Orihime's good bye.

Beta credit as always goes to my chu-love.

-Miss Soupy


	5. Dream

A/N: Sorry, this chapter doesn't feature much Ulquiorra, but it is very much needed for Orihime's development. I have always adored Orihime, even all of her insecurities, because she is such a _real_ character. She's not perfect, no where close to it, and I like that about her. The wistfulness of this song caught my attention, as well as the gentle words about the past. I think it works perfectly for Orihime, who is closing the chapter on this part of her life and looking towards the next. The song for this chapter is Dream by Priscilla Ahn, and as usual I have it up at my livejournal page.

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**Dream**

Orihime felt strangely empty as she flipped through the pages of her notebook, opening it to a blank page. The pain she had been expecting hadn't settled in yet, and it all seemed so surreal that it was, most likely, the last time she would see her apartment again.

"Let's see…I'll need to tell Rangiku-san and Toushirou-kun about garbage day, and the leftovers from last night will need to be finished soon or thrown away." She would really hate to have guests sick over spoiled food.

"Do shinigami know how to do the laundry?"

She didn't know the answer to that, but she put it down anyways, hoping they could figure it out. Orihime fidgeted with the bracelet that made her wrist feel far too heavy as she tried to think of what else she could be missing.

It had taken awhile for Orihime to get used to living by herself. Sure she had that kind old woman next door, and she would stop by from time to time and offer a hand and talk about her dead husband and give her an update on all of her cats, but Orihime truly had struggled in the beginning. When Sora had been alive, the closest she had ever come to running a house had been within her own imagination, when she'd sit out on the deck with an assortment of stuffed animals and potted plants and pretend they had all come to visit and expected to be treated like royalty. And she would cater to their every whim because she _really_ was a very good host, though she did spill tea on her favorite stuffed bunny and cracked that one pot Sora had really liked.

"I wish I had been able to tell them that I enjoyed having them stay with me."

The sound of other voices within her apartment was a memory that would always bring a smile to her face.

With one final look around her home, Orihime left through the wall and tried desperately not to cry. Things were starting to sink in now, but she couldn't allow herself to break down. No, she had to be strong.

Her feet carried her for a while, over paths that looked so different in the day than they did now. At first she thought she was lost, but then she realized she recognized the place up ahead and her heart stilled.

It was the Kurosaki home.

Ulquiorra's warning echoed inside her head, _only one_.

Orihime had wanted to ask him why she was allowed to say good bye at all, why she could say it only once, and just how could he do this to someone? But instead she had merely nodded, understanding and accepting his rules.

She hadn't truly considered who would be the _one_ until now, but here she was, and Kurosaki-kun was so close and she was curious as to how he had faired and she just _had_ to do something now, since it was the end.

The bracelet made her feel weightless; weightless and yet heavier than she had ever felt, but it allowed her to climb easily up to the window. Before she entered, however, she paused before the glass, one delicate hand reaching out towards the pane. Suddenly, wildly, Orihime wished for a miracle. She wished for him to see her, more than she had ever wished before, because the sleeping boy within would be her final hope.

Stepping forward, she moved through the glass as if a ghost, and felt she had entered a safe haven. Inside the room, she felt shielded from everything.

Everything but the moonlight illuminating her from behind with its gentle glow.

She found, surprisingly, that he was not alone here but that his sisters had also wanted to be close. Perhaps they too felt the same safety from the sleeping hero. Orihime smiled knowingly at the thought.

Slowly, she moved closer to the bed, finally allowing herself to truly study the occupant there, and as she did, the rest of the world seemed to melt away. She had always wished for a moment like this though, hadn't she? In her daydreams she would be in some great danger, and Ichigo would appear and look at her. His eyes would smile as he told her he would save her and that everything would be alright. He would only look at her, in this dream, mirroring the same adoring gaze she gave him. Yes, he was always her hope, and especially so now, and she looked down at him with eyes shining with hidden hope.

But the hero did not awaken. He did not know she was there at all, and she felt her hope falter, her heart squeezing within her chest.

Tentatively, she reached out and took his hand and felt her cheeks redden at the contact.

_He will realize I'm here,_ she thought, suddenly fearful she might get in trouble. And yet, it hardly mattered now. All that mattered was this, what she wanted to communicate. What she had to tell him. What she hoped he heard…

She leaned closer, his breath tickling her cheek. Why was it he still seemed so far away? Orihime moved closer still, desperately wishing for the connection she had always desired with the boy.

_Let him know, let him hear me!_

Down, down, so close, surely she could reach him if she went just a little further, and then…

Nothing.

Orihime pulled away, tears immediately jumping into her eyes. She had been so close that she could almost feel the pressure of his lips against hers. But even if they had touched she knew it was a lost cause. The truth of it was she could not reach him, and no amount of desperation would allow her to.

Her heart was broken, but she hid it with a smile and awkward laughter. She had really broken it herself, with her silly dreams of what really wasn't and might never be. But, she also knew, dreams, even seemingly impossible ones, are not so easy to forget, and before she left she had promised him 5 lifetimes of love.

Perhaps, in one of those 5, she would find what she wanted, or at least find peace in what she had.

So her 'one' had been him, and she had even ruined the good bye by chickening out in the last second, which _wasn't_ what happened in the movies or those love-love novels the girls sometimes lent her. Though maybe it didn't work right because she was in the place of the prince (and he the princess), which was just so backwards to begin with.

(Though the problem had really been her failing heart)

She could not steal a kiss even at the end of this life, nor the next 5 if she won them, because Orihime was selfish enough to want it to be real.

On her way to the meeting point, she took a long way and whispered her good byes to people who wouldn't hear her. Even so, she felt a little better, because she could never leave anyone she loved out, no matter what Ulquiorra would do to her if he knew.

He said nothing about it when he came for her, merely said a few cold words that she didn't hear and led her into the dark. She was glad he was leading, because she didn't want him to see her tears, which were slowly beginning to slide down her cheeks. Then again, he seemed to be permanently crying, so maybe, just maybe, he might understand. Things would be different now, she told herself, but she couldn't lose her way. Tatsuki told her to never change, so, she couldn't give up!

Another tear fell.

_Good bye, Halcyon days…_

Things had changed, and she could not go back, but she could always hold hope.

_I'm ready now, to fly from the highest wing._

_

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_A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review (begs). Next chapter Ulquiorra and Orihime are on their way to Las Noches.

Beta'd by the chu3

--Miss Soupy


	6. Rattle and Burn

A/N: It's that time again :) Sorry this is a rather short chapter with no manga proof, but the scene came to mind and I wanted to include it. The song I chose is a nice spanish themed instrumental that reminds me of the arrancar. It's called Rattle and Burn by Jesse Cook.

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**Rattle and Burn**

They had been walking for some time now, and the girl had been quiet all the way. Ulquiorra was glad for it, though he knew she was crying by the sniffling noises she made now and again. Mentally, he sighed. He had no experience dealing with things of this matter, nor did he wish to acquire it. In fact, he had to keep himself from saying something that might cause her further emotional trauma. Aizen had asked him not to harm her, so he added emotional torture to the list of things he was _not_ allowed to do, at least not yet.

Not all too soon for Ulquiorra, he arrived at the main hall, but did not enter right away.

"Woman," he said suddenly, causing the girl to look up at him with a startled expression as he faced her. "Cease this nonsense."

Well, he had gotten her attention at least, for now instead of crying she was staring at him with wide eyes.

Ulquiorra sighed again. She truly had no idea how to act in a place like Hueco Mundo.

"If you wish to attract very unwanted attention, then, by all means, keep crying. Otherwise, I would suggest you prepare yourself. This place is not like your world and thus you will need to adapt if you wish to survive."

She seemed to realize what he was saying for she began rubbing at her eyes and wiping her cheeks with her palm.

When she saw him watching her she looked apologetic, "I'm sorry, but I didn't bring a tissue, though I guess I regret not thinking of it now."

"Never mind it." He replied, confused at her sudden embarrassment but deciding it was what she wanted to hear. "Now, are you ready to face Aizen-sama?"

At his name, her eyes had widened again, though her expression was that of someone who felt the weight of the world upon their shoulders. Aizen sparked such reactions in many, so Ulquiorra felt this was not a weak moment for her. It was simply reality.

"Y-yes, I'm ready." He was surprised to see she actually tried to look it as well.

Feeling strangely generous, Ulquiorra offered her some advice. He would not be needing to worry about her anymore after this, he guessed. Surely, his power would not be wasted over something so trivial.

"Do not show tears in the face of fear," he told her, his eyes green bottomless pools that seemed to stare into her soul. "If you do so, you will be marked for life as weak, and the beasts will tear you apart. Power is the only thing of value here and gaining it is the only way to escape such a fate. Someone like you, therefore, would never survive. Heed my advice woman. Know your place, remain silent, respect Aizen-sama, and do not cry in front of them."

He watched as she sniffed a few more times, nodded her head, and swallowed her emotions. The door was pushed open, and human and arrancar faced their fears.

_Bienvenido a Las Noches._

_

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_A/N: Please don't forget to review. Next update will include more Ulquiorra/Orihime interaction (finally!).

Beta'd by the wonderful and mysterious chu.

--Miss Soupy


	7. Hope for the Hopeless

A/N: Hey everyone! Brought some more UlquiHime goodness. I always thought it was so cute he liked her outfit, hehe. I couldn't resist giving Orihime a strong moment here, because well, it just goes downhill for her quickly DX This song is **Hope for the Hopeless** by **A Fine Frenzy**. It's a very encouraging song I think.

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**Hope for the Hopeless**

Orihime thought her room, though very generous in size, was very boring. There were no colors! Just white, lots of it, and a little black (the shadows), followed by more white. Picking at the sleeves of her new white dress, Orihime had to admit it all matched very well.

"Ohhh! I bet I could just blend in here with the wall! Or the floor…and if I lay quietly on the couch, I could probably scare people who come by with my camouflage techniques." At that moment, a day dream popped into her head wherein an unsuspecting Ulquiorra stepped into her room when, from a seemingly innocent couch, a ninja version of herself arose from the cushions and scared the arrancar so badly that his mask completely shattered, and then they realized he had turned human and he was no longer bad at all so he at once announced his decision to leave Aizen and start a new life as a pastry chef and that she was free to go. And she would be so grateful that she would buy as many of his cakes as she could, and oh would she love some cake right now...maybe chocolate, or strawberry or carr-

"Surprisingly, it looks good on you."

Startled out of her thoughts, Orihime couldn't help but yelp in surprise as she turned to face a bored looking Ulquiorra. Of course, that wasn't saying much because he seemed to _always_ look that way.

After she had settled and he had given her his usual cold remark, Ulquiorra suddenly spoke of the matter at hand.

"There is a situation," he said, his dark brows furrowed seriously as he spoke to her.

Immediately, her heart fell and she just _knew_. The gigantic energy she had felt before hadn't been normal at all, and the only abnormal thing that could happen around here must involve…

"Your comrades have invaded Hueco Mundo."

And even though she knew, the question flew out of her mouth reflexively.

"…why?"

_No, no…please no…_

"To rescue you. For them, there can be no other reason."

Her heart stopped.

"They came to rescue me…" she repeated, hoping that _somehow_ she had heard wrong.

"Correct."

At once, a million worries flew into her mind and her heart clenched so painfully that she wanted to weep, but, remembering Ulquiorra's advice, instead thought frantically for a plan.

Ulquiorra, seeing her expected worry, went on, "That, however, should be meaningless to you. Your body and soul already belongs to us." His eyes seemed to bore straight into her soul. "The fact that you are wearing what you are solidifies that truth, Inoue Orihime."

Her hands clenched tightly around the white fabric of her dress, and she suddenly hated it. It had been the first time he had called her by name, but what he was saying was making her stomach feel sick. He was forcing her to audibly agree with the statement, and she really had no way of escape.

So she did what was expected of her, but as she said the hated words, an idea formed in her mind.

Ulquiorra, it seemed, had gotten what he wanted and turned to leave and she had to call out frantically to stop him.

"W-wait!"

Turning his head, a green eye slid to look in her direction. "What is it?"

Orihime bit her lip in thought as he turned to face her fully, his patience thinning by the second.

_I can't let him leave, but if I just go straight into it there is a bad chance he will go for it! I need to be smooth, like in the movies, get his mind on something else and…_

"I like your eyes!" The words came out of her mouth so suddenly she not only surprised the espada, but also herself but she soon recovered with a shaky smile.

"What-,"

"I-I mean, they were the first thing I noticed about you. They are so..um, vivid, yes, that's it. _Vivid._" She tried her best sultry voice, but thought it sounded more scared than anything and it didn't seem to have any effect because Ulquiorra wasn't moving or blinking and she couldn't really tell if he was shocked or seduced or maybe just broken.

When she tried to open her mouth to say more, nothing but air came out. Thankfully, Ulquiorra had seemed to wake up, for he finally said, "I suppose I am to take this as a compliment? However I cannot see the purpose of a compliment on something so insignificant as eye color. Would it not be more conducive to compliment the benefits of my eye's ability?"

Orihime blinked. "Ability?"

With eyes wide and curious, Orihime watched as Ulquiorra reached up and…

She gaped. "A-amazing," she whispered as Ulquiorra held his own eyeball in the palm of his hand.

"Surprised?" he asked, his voice bland as usual, but Orihime thought, or perhaps just imagined, that she heard amusement there too. But then he, without warning, closed his fist, crushing the eye into dust, and Orihime was about to emit a sound of disapproval when she blinked and, instead of blackness, saw _colors_.

"O-oh! I blinked and there was…what _is it_?" Closing her eyes she saw Karakura town, but from very high up, and then the ground was coming closer and closer and…

"My memories," Ulquiorra explained, his remaining eye resting on the girl. Suddenly, the images began to fast forward and she recognized Yammy, then Tatsuki, then Sado, and then…

She wanted to ask him to stop; she didn't really want to see anymore, but then the replay began to slow and returned to normal time. In it, her shield was being broken and she was standing. Orihime felt her cheeks begin to burn in shame, because she knew what happened next. Sure enough, she released Tsubaki, who was squished just a moment later. Unable to take more, her eyes flew open as she looked at the now one-eyed Ulquiorra.

_He is truly cruel_, she thought just then, _to_ _remind me of my shame._

But then, when he spoke, it was not with the biting sarcasm she expected. "Your weakness was your hesitation. That is why you could not cut through his hand. There was a moment when your reiatsu was strong, and you would have succeeded, but then your doubt took it all away."

So shocked was she that she couldn't manage more than, "Ah..?"

"You should not think of anything but your objective. Any other thoughts are irrelevant and will only make you weak. A true warrior is both physically and mentally sharp."

Orihime looked at Ulquiorra with wonder; never would she have expected the arrancar to offer her advice about battle. Surely he should have said something more like, "You are too incompetent for battle", or, "By all means fight. If you so wish to commit suicide, that is your decision" or even, "I would think the nonsense that comes out of your mouth would be enough to kill any opponent". But he hadn't said those things at all, though Orihime thought her inner impression of him was very accurate.

"Y-yes," she mustered, suddenly feeling awkward, which was strange, because she usually had a million things to talk about at once. But then without so much as another word, Ulquiorra was leaving _again_, and she suddenly remembered what she had failed to do. She couldn't let him get away now.

So she took his advice and did not hesitate. "Hold on," he seemed to sigh before turning again and her features turned serious as she went on, "I need you to do something."

Ulquiorra raised a brow curiously, showing her that he was listening, and Orihime released a shaky breath. "My friends don't know that I traded my life for theirs so it's unfair to punish them for coming to save me. As long as I don't leave this place I…" she paused, meeting his eyes with her determined ones, "I am keeping the guillotine over my neck." Oh, why were his eyes so unreadable? "So please, do not kill them!"

Ulquiorra stared at her for an extremely long moment after that, and what he could be thinking she couldn't even guess. It was a long shot, she knew. He didn't owe her anything as there had really been no trade of the sort. But still, she wanted to keep some hope. She _had _to.

Finally, he turned his head away from her and said, "Asking such a thing is meaningless. Even if I would agree to it, there are still plenty of other espada who could destroy them."

"I know that, I know it seems like a little thing, but this is the most I can do. So I'm asking you, will you promise?" Orihime felt as if all of her will was put into those words. Her whole body was tense with it. If only it could reach the cold espada before her…

Ulquiorra turned to leave, and when she called after him, this time he did not stop.

"I will consider it," he did finally say, before he closed the door on her, and she was left worried and alone.

Orihime felt her heart sink as she watched the door close. Her friends were coming, but the thought, instead of being encouraging, made her feel even more sick, and Ulquiorra's answer had not given her any comfort.

Would no one offer her help in this white castle?

_There's hope for the hopeless_

_

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_A/N: I hope you review and tell what you think so far :) I love reading your thoughts on the story.

Beta'd by the chuuuu

--Miss Soupy


	8. Desolation Row

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has been keeping up with this fic. I really love this song, and felt it was perfect for this scene. Actually, there are many lyrics that remind me of the HM arc. There is a little bit of everyone in the lyrics. There is the Blind Commissioner (Ulquiorra), who is tied to the tight-rope walker (Orihime). There are Riot Squads and Sailors and the circus is in town (the arrancar), and Cinderella who seems too easy but replies, 'It takes one to know one' (also Orihime). Then we have Romeo moaning, 'You belong to me, I believe' and someone says, 'You're in the wrong place my friend, you better leave.' Of course none of this makes much sense unless you hear the song XD This song is **Desolation Row** sung by **My Chemical Romance**.

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**Desolation Row**

Ulquiorra had been, he had to admit, surprised by his visit with the human woman. It seemed to be a recurring theme, that he underestimated her strength. And here, once again, she had risen to his challenge. She hadn't wanted to say it, but she had with clear eyes and voice. Not many could have done the same.

_Such a strong woman…_

To even go so far as to ask for his cooperation so fearlessly was something unheard of. She had not begged though. She did not break down and appeal to his sense of pity, but instead she asked with all of her will, and he _had_ felt it. Of course, there was no reason to actually agree to it. Aizen had told them not to go after the intruders but instead to stay in their palaces and act like there was nothing out of the ordinary. He would need to frequently check in on the woman (he had been slightly taken aback by Aizen's order to continue as her caretaker), but he had no intention of confronting the invaders. There would be plenty of others, those who could not contain their lust for battle, who would no doubt disobey orders and seek out the new blood.

Grimmjow, no doubt, had unsettled business, and he was not the only one who craved battle.

"Yo."

_What a coincidence._

As Ulquiorra looked up, a lecherous grin and an abnormally large hood invaded his vision.

"How's things going with Pet-sama?"

Ulquiorra stiffened but Nnoitra wasn't done. "I know that Aizen-sama put you in charge of her. What a tasty job…"

The large man, to Ulquiorra's disgust, moved closer, his eyes holding malicious intent as he asked suggestively, "So, how far have you _disciplined_ her?"

Ulquiorra recognized the challenge but refused to have any part in it. He must have been very bored to have come all this way to badger him about his duty to guard the woman.

Nnoitra, not liking Ulquiorra's refusal to take the bait, stopped him, slamming his fist into the wall and using his height to block Ulquiorra's way.

"Don't be so testy…I just wanna know how it's going." He smiled, his thin eyes looking down as Ulquiorra remained emotionless. Nnoitra should have gone to someone else if he had really wanted a fight; it seemed strange that he was bothering him now.

Wishing to put the lanky espada behind him, Ulquiorra explained that the girl was most definitely under their control, had been from the start, and would not be getting out of it. In the end, Nnoitra seemed impressed with the plan, though he could tell the arrancar felt discomfort in the thought that to Aizen, it was all a game anyways.

"The point remains that as of now, the woman has no power to escape this place. She has neither the will to defy us, nor the strength."

At this, Nnoitra leaned away from the wall, a long finger scratching at his head as he suddenly looked much less interested. "You sure are talkative today, Ulquiorra. It's not like you to be explainin' yourself so much." That horrible grin was back again, but this time Ulquiorra could not easily just ignore his words. He remained silent though, as to not further this notion that he indeed was more talkative. He couldn't be, of course.

Nnoitra already seemed to be looking for something else to do, but Ulquiorra did not miss his eyes flicker in the direction of the girl's room. It was then that Ulquiorra realized that, even under Aizens command, the human was not safe here. The arrancar were loyal up until they _thought_ Aizens vision could not reach them, and that is when they showed who they really were: _beasts_.

"Hey," Nnoitra said suddenly, his voice pensive, "Are they strong? Those intruders?"

Pausing, Ulquiorra weighed his options. Nnoitra of course would not just wait, not when he was so bored. But, if he told him they were not strong, he might relieve his boredom in _unfortunate_ ways. Ulquiorra would be disobeying Aizen if anything happened to the girl, but if he answered yes, he would be bringing her comrades closer to death.

Not quite understanding why he was even worrying about such a thing, Ulquiorra replied, "They were able to break into Hueco Mundo, and then Las Noches. That in itself is a feat that most could not accomplish."

Maneuvering around Nnoitra, Ulquiorra saw he had taken his bait, so he felt the need to clarify, "But they are no threat to Aizen-sama."

He had left it at that. Nnoitra would do what he wished, regardless of anything, so there was no point in trying to dissuade him. He was not his business, but at least he had gotten his interest to shift from the room down the way.

The girl was strong. Not strong enough to defy Aizen, at least not yet. He would be there to monitor it, so there was no worry. What happened to her companions was of no concern to him. If they died, it was their own fault and therefore they would receive sufficient punishment for their oversight. The girl needed to come to understand this. If she wanted to survive, she would need to learn to let go of everything, especially meaningless bonds such as friendship. Ulquiorra slipped his hands into his pockets.

But was he really being more talkative?

_And the riot squads are restless, they need somewhere to go, as Lady and I look out tonight from Desolation Row._

_

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_A/N: Alright, well, I am interested to know what everyone thought, so please review! Let see, what happens next...oh, that's right, we are going back to Orihime next chapter.

Beta'd by the adorable chu :)

--Miss Soupy


	9. A Princess

A/N: Sort of late posting this, but I was really busy. Sorry it's a short chapter... The song I chose is A Princess by Javier Navarrete (It's a song from Pan's Labyrinth).

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**A Princess**

All was quiet in the white room holding the captive princess.

"Nrrrrrrrrrg."

Or at least it had been, until her stomach realized how empty it was and voiced its disapproval quite audibly.

"Oh, quiet you," she told it, giving it a good punch to be sure. It didn't really take away her hunger, but it made her feel more in control at the very least.

Hunger really was the least of her worries. She could feel them, the lives of her friends, so close and yet so far away. It was enough to drive her mad, the fear that one of those little pinpoints of reiatsu that were so dear to her would suddenly go out. Curling her fingers into her dress, Orihime closed her eyes tightly, resting her back against the cushions of the couch.

When she wasn't worrying about her friends, she was worrying about the Hougyoku. She was still unsure as to what exactly it was, but it had felt so powerful in an "it should never have been created" way. Orihime knew she needed to destroy it, but…

She bit her lip. She really didn't _know_. Aizen was just so confusing, and it all seemed to be nothing but a game. Everything was so blurred at the edges as if white was so disorienting that it distracted her from the truth. Inwardly, she felt so conflicted, as if her brain and her emotions were both just so confused that they were in war with each other.

Suddenly, she felt some of the reiatsu signals grow and Orihime understood it meant her friends were fighting. For all she knew, Ulquiorra had gone straight to them.

To Orihime, the fact that Ulquiorra was to be her jailer meant that he had to be someone strong enough to defeat anyone who came to take her away. She had not seen Ulquiorra fight yet, so she really had no way to gauge his true strength versus Ichigo. But Ichigo had gotten more training, and Orihime felt he would be back to his old self now. He would win then, wouldn't he? He would come and take her away from here. He would be her savior once again.

Orihime's forehead creased in worry. Why did she always have to be saved? Even now, when she had _thought_ she was saving them, she was once again the one needing to be saved. Would she ever be able to save anyone?

_No, _she thought sadly, her eyes distant as she gazed at the floor. _To think that, even with training, I would be at their level, that I could change who I am, was a silly pipe-dream._

She would never be like them. Her powers, as infinite as Aizen made them seem, would not be suitable for battle and therefore she would be useless in war. Rukia had tried to convince her otherwise, and she had believed it for awhile, but Urahara had to be right.

Briefly, Ulquiorra's words filled her mind, and she allowed a sad smile.

_Do not hesitate? Someone like me will always hesitate, because I am always saved in the end._

She felt as if she was running in circles, with no end in sight.

_I am the captured princess. Will I ever escape this fate?_

_

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_A/N: Ok, you know the drill. Please review and tell me what you think! Next chapter is one of my favorites. See if you can guess what scene it will cover, hehe.

Beta'd by a dear little chu

-Miss Soupy


	10. Stockholm Syndrome

A/N: Ah, one of my favorite scenes ;) I love this song. I think it mostly goes without saying that it is a very good song for this pair, especially while Orihime is a prisoner. It also brings out Ulquiorra's obsession with her that becomes more prominent in this part of the manga. The song is Stockholm Syndrome by Muse.

* * *

**Stockholm Syndrome**

When he had entered her room again, she seemed so different, as if she was trying to cling to the world she had left, but now she was forced to exist in his and was stretched so thin between the two. Her eyes, when she looked up at him with that helpless expression, seemed to hold more darkness below them.

He didn't like this appearance. This was not the woman he had thought was strong.

Orihime, truthfully, was in inner turmoil. She had felt Sado's reiatsu completely drop away from her senses, and no matter how hard she searched, she could not locate it anymore. Ulquiorra showing up seemed to be a bad omen as well, as he, oddly, felt the need to explain the situation as he saw it.

All the while though, all she could do was repeat the same words, over and over, hoping that she might believe it _somehow_.

"Sado-kun isn't dead."

Her words seemed so desperate, he thought, while listening for the arrancar wheeling the dinner cart down the hall.

"He isn't dead." Neither really knew the point of the words, but Orihime would say them anyways. If she didn't…she wasn't sure she could handle reality.

Ulquiorra called for the arrancar to enter with the food and commanded her to eat, but she refused it.

Now this was unacceptable. Starving oneself would not bring her foolish friend back, and she knew it as well as he did. He did not understand this foolish attachment when it obviously brought so much pain. Bonds of friendship were meaningless.

"It is part of your duty to Aizen-sama to stay alive until you are called upon." Ulquiorra told her, but Orihime still did not move to obey.

Now this was something. She had not, before now, disobeyed him. Had he not said she didn't have the will to do as much? But she was strong, or had been, and even with this behavior she had not lost it all. Was this proof that her strength was now fueling whatever rebellious side she did hold?

"Would you like me to force it down your throat? Or perhaps I should stick a needle in you and transmit nutrients in that manner?"

His threats were weightless words, for she cared nothing of herself at that moment. What if she never saw Sado-kun again? It would be her fault. She had promised to bring him something the next time they ate lunch together. No, no, he couldn't be. He was strong.

"Sado-kun isn't dead." Her words sounded so distant, even to her own ears. The voice coming out of her was one she didn't recognize and she couldn't look at Ulquiorra or else she might wither under his cold bright eyes. He was one of them, one of those creatures that had hurt Sado-kun, and he could hurt her too.

Ulquiorra sighed as he looked at the girl. Could she say nothing else?

"It doesn't matter either way, dead or alive."

She still would not face him, her head hung in defeat.

"What would you have me say?" he persisted, becoming more and more annoyed with her behavior and yet he couldn't seem to stop himself from his badgering. "Don't worry, I'm sure he is still alive?"

He saw that her shoulders were trembling with emotion, and it confused and intrigued him both. She was so different than anyone he had seen, and though her antics seemed so bizarre to him, he felt himself wanting to see more of what she would do.

"Ridiculous. I am not here to comfort you."

She knew he wasn't and couldn't even begin to picture him comforting anyone. But even with all of his threats, he had not taken action against her yet. Orihime had expected him to force her to eat by now, but for some reason he seemed more interested in questioning and further causing her emotional discomfort.

"It doesn't make sense. Why are you so fixated over life and death?"

She finally looked at him, as if this had meant something to her. His voice had sounded different just then, as if the edges were laced with true curiosity.

"The truth is that your nakama will eventually be destroyed by us. So what, then, if it is one step closer?"

He really didn't understand at all, she realized with surprise. This arrancar must not care for anyone but Aizen. For him to not understand the pain of losing someone…it would mean he had _no one_ to lose.

"They all should have been able to predict this from the start."

Even if he didn't understand, it didn't make it hurt any less. She could take it when he spoke badly about her actions, but to do so about her friends was taking it too far and she felt her desperation climb.

"…stop it."

There was so much distress in her voice and he knew he had hit a sensitive nerve.

"And even if they couldn't, then their own stupidity is the cause."

Tears began to collect in the corner of her eyes, but he would not stop now, not when he was so close. Ulquiorra had been consumed by a sudden desire to show her how wrong she was.

"It's only natural to want to laugh at such foolishness. Why can't you do that?"

She was so close to the edge, not much further now and she would surely fall. The woman would see things his way. She _had_ to. His world was her world now.

"If it was me, and my friends had entered Hueco Mundo without first gauging their strength," he paused as his eyes locked with hers to deliver the final blow, "I'd be infuriated by their stupidity."

In that moment, Orihime knew what she wanted to do. And the odd thing was, she actually did it. She didn't think, or worry, or hesitate, but instead she acted.

It wasn't until her hand throbbed as she held it up before her and Ulquiorra was looking to the side with slight surprise that Orihime realized what she had done. And when he had moved one green eye back to look at her, she thought for sure he would kill her. But she had made her point, and the shock had reduced her pain somewhat.

He felt as if the sun had lashed out against him and his cheek burned where she had hit him. Ulquiorra turned his head and looked at her for a long moment, contemplating his next move. She had done the opposite of what he had predicted from her, and now he was even more perplexed. Perhaps he had pushed her too far, however, for she had no doubt hurt her hand from the act. It was not like him to miscalculate anything, and it unsettled him that he had in this moment. And because it was so alien to him and he did not understand his actions or hers, he was the one that was forced to retreat.

"I will come again in one hour. And if you haven't eaten by then, I will restrain you and force you to." He looked back at her briefly again. "That is a promise."

The door closed, and Orihime broke down, collapsing against the wall as tears streamed down her face. The depth of her despair had been felt only once before, when Sora died, and she had never wanted to feel it again. But still the tears came, seemingly without end over her burning cheeks.

She cried for her friends, for Sado-kun, for herself.

Outside, Ulquiorra stood by the door listening to her sobs. She was so different, so unlike the arrancar. She felt _so much_ that it _hurt_ her, and she was so trapped here that she could possibly drown in her emotions. Trapped like they all were.

His hand touched the door gently, as if so much more separated him from her than stone.

_Everything divides us. _

Could he ever truly reach an understanding? Could he ever truly reach _her_?

Orihime clutched her hurt hand and brought it up to her lips, all the while the tears still came. She cried for the arrancar, who were caged and didn't know it, or didn't care, but she so desperately hoped they would _see_.

And then, to her own surprise (but it still felt so right), she cried for _him_, because he didn't have anyone.

_This is the last time I'll forget you._

Ulquiorra closed his eyes.

_I wish I could._

_

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_A/N: Oh poor Orihime. I felt really bad for her after this, but also happy that she showed her inner strength. Also, the subtle hint that Ulquiorra was listening at her door..so romantic... Ah, ok, please review! Next chapter..hmm...what is it...oh another favorite part of mine. Watch for my attempt at a battle scene (but it's not really about the battle).

Beta'd by a scrutinizing chu...

--Miss Soupy


	11. Burn in My Mind

A/N: Ah, I love this part. It is quite a subtle UlquiHime moment, really I didn't even consider it one until I thought about Ulquiorra's character. Really, he was disobeying Aizen, and for him that is HUGE. Also, that he went right after he was slapped XD what a jealous fellow. This song I found fitting for a fight scene, as well as Ulquiorra's thoughts on Orihime. It is **Burn in My Mind** by **Twenty-four Flowers**.

* * *

**Burn in My Mind**

Ulquiorra had never felt so tense before, and no matter what he did, he couldn't shake the feeling. As he wandered the halls, the espada noticed his senses seemed sharper than usual. His heart rate was abnormally fast as well, and it puzzled him. It was as if…as if he was prepared for battle.

He stopped suddenly as he realized where he was: the observatory room. The door was opened slightly, so he pushed it open further and stepped in. Surprisingly, he found it occupied, and Ulquiorra felt himself withdraw when he saw who it was occupied by.

Ichimaru Gin was someone Ulquiorra would rather avoid, whenever possible. There was something about the man that made him wary, and no amount of curiosity would ever make Ulquiorra wish to know more about him.

It seemed the man was playing God and setting the intruders up with whatever opponent he wished. This meant little to Ulquiorra, and he dismissed himself as soon as he could (he really didn't know, nor wish to know, what friendship with that man would include). He had seen what he needed to anyways: the location of Kurosaki Ichigo.

Without thinking, Ulquiorra headed in his direction, his heart rate beginning to quicken even more. He now recognized that his desire for battle was the cause of his heightened senses, though he did not want battle for the sake of battle. Ulquiorra was not an arrancar that thrived on instinct alone, but his true purpose did escape him. What was it that he wished to accomplish?

Unperturbed, he continued on until he had at last made it to his destination. At that moment, a flash of information appeared within Ulquiorra's mind, and he was alerted to the fate of the 9th espada as well as the shinigami Kuchiki Rukia. Briefly, his thoughts fell upon the woman, who would no doubt feel this loss greatly.

_She must give them up, _he thought, positive that this was the truth. How would she survive if she did not? It was not as if he had told her things would be any different. Had he not just informed her of their impending deaths?

The shinigami below had paused, and Ulquiorra understood that he was now aware of the defeat as well. It was then that he made up his mind. If the woman could not let them go, he would prove how worthless the bonds were and remove them himself. That, surely, would make her realize the truth.

Ulquiorra made his entrance, and he did so in a way that clearly illustrated their difference in power. He stepped down to Ichigo's level by his own choice, because Ichigo truly could not hope to reach him. The shinigami behaved as expected, rejecting his words concerning Kuchiki Rukia and wishing to run off right away to see the truth for himself. Curiously, he seemed to have little interest in fighting him on the grounds that he had not hurt any of his nakama.

_Did he really have no idea?_

"What if I were to tell you that I was the one who brought Inoue Orihime to Hueco Mundo in the first place?"

Ah, those words had set fire to the shinigami. So, he was finally willing to fight for this bond.

Ichigo's eyes burned with anger as he struck. "I _knew_ Inoue didn't come here by her own will!"

Ulquiorra blinked before giving Ichigo a disapproving look, pressing back against him with equal force. "Surprising, even after coming to save her, her nakama still felt some doubt as to her actions."

_What would she think, knowing this? Would she be surprised? Hurt? Or would she still hold that bond?_

He had coerced Ichigo into fighting by now. His anger was peaking and he would surely fight with everything he had; most likely it wouldn't be much, but perhaps he would prove there was power in this friendship.

Perhaps.

As expected, Ichigo did not hold anything back, and for the first time Ulquiorra saw his hollowfied form. It was surprising, seeing the shinigami brought closer to a hollow, closer to an arrancar, and might have been impressive if he had been stronger. True, he had managed an attack strong enough to get by two hands, but his deflection had been sufficient enough to stop much of the damage from his getsuga tenshou.

The look of surprise he wore, when Ulquiorra had risen from the ashes, was one of complete disbelief. The esapada could see the hope begin to disappear from his eyes as reality set in. In that moment, Ulquiorra knew it was over. The shinigami had really given his all, and it had, as expected, not been anywhere near powerful enough to reach him. Moments later, the shinigami had fallen, or so he thought, until he stuck his sword stubbornly into his chest, claiming he couldn't stop when he was so close. But even then, he was so wrong about everything - thinking Ulquiorra was the top esapada and hoping that he was so close to the end of his quest. Ulquiorra quickly destroyed the last shreds of his hope and moved the blade himself, tearing the white fabric until his number was visible.

"I am the cuatro espada, Ulquiorra Cifer."

Those were the last words Ichigo would know, before an arm plunged into his chest and he was thrown aside.

_It is over_.

The girl had felt so strongly for them, and in all honesty, Ulquiorra had expected more than this. She had done something unusual by striking him, but this Kurosaki Ichigo, even with his full power, had not gone above and beyond his usual capabilities.

"I suppose I might have overestimated you." He told him, still somewhat unconvinced that he was finished. "Your evolution didn't meet my expectations at all. This is the end."

There was no movement from the fallen shinigami, no sound, nothing, just the stillness of one that knows there is nothing left. He lay as unmoving as a corpse while Ulquiorra watched and waited, for what he wasn't sure.

_Do you have no will to save the woman?_ He thought, displeased for some reason.

Ulquiorra knew he should kill him now and be done with it, but his hand remained planted within his pocket.

_I am keeping the guillotine over my neck. So please, don't kill them!_

Her plea echoed within his head, her tear soaked cheeks, her determined eyes, all of those emotions that she felt and he did not (but still wondered at) burned within his memories. And so he did not kill the shinigami, but left him with the advice to leave.

It would be the first act he performed for someone besides Aizen, and it would be the first time Ulquiorra could admit there was something different about him.

_You're my sun in the sky but you just burn in my mind_

_

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_A/N: The plot thickens! Ulquiorra can't look back now; something is happening to him... Next chapter, we will go to Orihime and how she is coping with everything. So please review!

Beta'd by malibu chu

--Miss Soupy


	12. Violet Hill

A/N: Things just go from bad to worse for Orihime. Kubo really darkened her quite a bit during this part, especially when Lolly calls her a monster. I chose **Violet Hill** by **Coldplay** for this chapter (love coldplay!). It has a war-time feel, and it also seems lonely and helpless. The part where they say 'a fox became god' reminds me so much of Aizen. And of course, the part where they ask, 'If you love me, won't you let me know' seemed very UlquiHime to me...

* * *

**Violet Hill**

Orihime frantically pounded on her door, desperately calling out for _anyone_. The images of an impaled Rukia and a screaming round _thing_ on the ground that had just passed over her mind seemed too real to be a dream. And even worse was the fact that she had lost the feeling of Rukia's reiatsu.

But, no matter how hard she pounded or how loudly she yelled, no one came, no one could hear, or perhaps no one cared. In agony, she shrank down against the door, crumpling into a sobbing heap on the floor.

"P-please, let me help her."

Where was her jailer, Ulquiorra? Would he soon come to antagonize her over this fallen friend as well? Orihime honestly hoped he did come, if only so she could plead for some mercy, enough to allow her to heal her friend and send her out of this place. She would stay in this hell forever if she could only get them all out of here alive, and if anyone would grant her that, it would have to be him.

Suddenly, two large reiatsus appeared, and Orihime pressed her cheek into the door as if she could sense them better.

"Th-that's Kurosaki-kun and…"

Her heart sank further as an image of the sad-looking arrancar appeared in her mind. Orihime's brow furrowed in worry as she stood shakily and stared into the space of her room, her concentration solely on the fight that had begun. She truly didn't know for certain who the other reiatsu belonged to, but she had a strong hunch. Ulquiorra hadn't returned to her room for awhile, and she couldn't help but think it wasn't a coincidence that this was so.

If it was him fighting Ichigo, it had to be punishment for disobeying; it had to be, since he had gone straight to Ichigo to challenge him. She could think of no other reason for it, unless it happened to be by chance, and she really didn't think Ulquiorra left anything up to chance.

Did this mean he would not be fulfilling her request? She was fairly sure, now, that it did. Slowly, Orihime moved towards the couch, her body swaying uneasily as she continued to focus her attention elsewhere. When her knee hit the cushion, she stumbled, and ended up kneeling in front of it, her hands clasped together so tightly her nails dug into her flesh.

There was a large surge in power that made her body tremble, and she recognized the source as Ichigo's. Her heart stilled, as did her breath, as she waited, the seconds ticking by like many lifetimes before everything settled again.

The other reiatsu had disappeared.

A few more lifetimes passed, except that they were really seconds, and the relief was so quickly killed that she hadn't had time to breathe again at all. The other power source was back and this power seemed to completely engulf Ichigo's.

_Please Ulquiorra, please don't…_

If only she hadn't slapped him, if only he had come back and she could have apologized and eaten everything right away and asked for seconds and even thirds. Would it have made a difference? She didn't know, and never would, because she could no longer sense Ichigo.

"Ku-kurosaki-kun…?"

He was gone too, like Sado, Rukia, and perhaps Ishida and Renji in the not too distant future. There was a sound at her door, and she scrambled up, ready to beg to be allowed to help him, for surely it was Ulquiorra. Surely he had come to show her what he had done, because he would make sure she had learned her lesson.

A female voice instead was heard, one dripping with poisonous sweetness and mal-intent.

"See, I knew it," the voice sang as two faces appeared in her opening door. "The princess is all by herself!"

As they sang her name, Orihime's eyebrows tensed and her eyes widened in fear. She recognized them: they had been there with Aizen before he had shown her the hogyoku.

Within seconds, the two had invaded her room, and she was thrown like a ragdoll, knocking over a side table as she slid across the floor. She gasped in pain as she was dragged up by her hair, the pig-tailed arrancar laughing with glee. Orihime made no move to protect herself and merely looked at the girl sadly without saying a word.

_If I disobey again, what will happen? Will they kill Ishida-kun and Renji-kun? Perhaps they will go to Karakura and find my classmates too... _

The girl didn't seem to like her silent stare either, for she hit her face once, and would have a second time if the door hadn't completely been blown in. Her mind felt fuzzy with pain, and briefly, she thought that this time it must be Ulquiorra; wasn't he supposed to protect her? Or was this some new form of punishment too?

Once again, it wasn't Ulquiorra. This time, it was the man she had healed, the one who once had a missing arm and rank, but had regained both thanks to her. _Grimmjow_, her brain somehow managed to remember as she peered at him through swollen eyes.

"Seems like you snuck in here while Ulquiorra was away and had some fun, huh?"

It only took a few moments before the two were broken into pieces, and he had rounded on her, though surprisingly he didn't attack. Somehow, Orihime had been able to look at him, into his feral eyes, and whispered, "Why?"

For a moment, his face relaxed into an almost calm expression as he said, "That's for my left arm." And then he grabbed her by the neck of her dress until her feet dangled below her and his vicious smile had returned to his face.

He wasn't done with her yet and told her as much as he held her there. Orihime stayed completely limp, but even if she had wanted to fight back, her body felt like liquid, liquid on fire.

When he set her down (so roughly that her weak limbs were barely able to support her), he commanded her to heal herself. She honestly didn't want to; the physical pain was a welcome distraction from the pain her heart felt, but there was other suffering in the room besides herself. As quickly as she could, she moved over to where one of the twins lay, her leg sticking out at an odd angle. Leaning down by her, she produced her healing shield and went to work, numbly but quickly, repairing her leg even against the girls own complaints (the slap didn't hardly hurt this time, everything was already throbbing as it was). At one moment, she had met the eyes of the girl, and Orihime felt pity once again. The twins were like children throwing a tantrum over the new girl in school, and in her heart, Orihime couldn't condemn them for what they had done.

Could they really be punished for what they didn't know?

As she ghosted over to the other girl and brought her back from oblivion as well, she made a wish that they would learn and maybe next time they met, things would be different. That is, if she lived long enough to see anyone again.

"Monster…" she heard the other whisper, and she made no comment in disagreement.

Perhaps she was so, to them, as they had seemed to her. But the longer she was around them, the less she could think of them as such. If she were to blame anyone for all of this, it would be Aizen, because Aizen was the one that drove the arrancar to do what they did. Grimmjow had said Aizen wouldn't care about their deaths, and Orihime had to agree that he wouldn't, but he had them fooled into thinking that they were important. Aizen had made himself a god already, and the haze the arrancar lived in was so thick that they had little hope of seeing the light. But, even if they did, Aizen was still an unstoppable force. If he could coerce someone like Ulquiorra, someone Orihime considered to be very intelligent, then what hope did they have?

All of these things Orihime thought about as she healed herself and then was bound and led away to who knows where by the sexta espada.

_If you love me, won't you let me know?_

_

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_A/N: Please let me know if you liked this chapter. Reviews keep me updating regularly! I'm sure most of you can guess what happens next...there will definitely be one angry espada. ;)

Beta'd by the genius chu.

--Miss Soupy


	13. Desert Rose

A/N: So they meet again! This scene was epic, especially with the joint thought between him and Grimmjow about their prey XD After looking at the panels, I'm pretty sure Ulquiorra expected Grimmjow to surprise him, though he didn't expect a caja negacion. So, I interpreted his thoughts the best I could (so what if I'm a little biased towards my pairing). I chose **Desert Rose** by **abingdon boys school**, mostly because I like the idea of Orihime being his desert rose. Yeah, I know, reallyyyy deep...(sarcasm). X)

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**Desert Rose**

Ulquiorra slowly unfolded a new jacket, discarding the torn and burnt remains of his previous one. He slid one arm into a fresh sleeve, followed by the other, and shrugged the material over his shoulders. Locating the zipper, he moved it up, stopping just before it would conceal his hollow hole. He felt calmer now, as if the change in clothes had been able to change part of himself. It seemed like his former self had settled back in and was ready to once again take control in his usual emotionless manner. No more would his…_curiosity_ force him to do things he was not used to.

It had to be over now. The hero was defeated, and if he had any brains in that head of his, he would leave this place and not come back. The woman, therefore, would also have to accept that there was no saving her and that there was no benefit to keeping ties with those who could do nothing. As he moved purposefully towards her room, Ulquiorra truly felt perfectly in control of his life once again. But only mere moments later, that perfect control had seeped away, leaving him numb in a way he hadn't felt before.

She was missing.

Orihime had never seen him look so dead before, had never seen his eyes so wide and lifeless. The moment was so surreal that she barely realized she had begun healing him. Never would she have guessed her reunion with him would be like this, though she hadn't really thought there was much possibility she would see him again anyways. But should could heal him; already the damage was beginning to melt away, all except for one spot. It was a hole deep in his chest, as black and deep as a hollow's, and one that did not want to heal. The reiatsu within it fought her power and seemed so unwilling to change that she had to wonder at it.

Grimmjow, as surprising at it was, had answered her with a name.

Ulquiorra.

They had readily given him the name of the one involved, and though he held some remaining suspicion towards them (they had acted aggressively towards her before), they mattered little now. Grimmjow so easily destroyed everything with little thought. The woman was in danger, and if she was harmed, it would be his fault. His reputation, and perhaps even more, was on the line,.

His desire for battle had returned.

It was amazing, the depth of the reiatsu she struggled to overcome; it was so much like a bottomless well. The dark stuff compared to her healing shield was like oil in water and refused to mix. Never before had she encountered something like it, and as much as it worried her, it intrigued her.

There was a twitch from the man below, and suddenly all her attention was on him. Ichigo was waking up.

Ulquiorra sensed them, so close now, and it seemed that she was alive. A moment later he could make out Grimmjow's rough voice commanding her to continue to heal the shinigami, something she seemed to have been trying to refuse. Another moment and he had appeared, shocking them all.

Grimmjow reacted quickly, snarling his name and moving to stand in his way while Ulquiorra regarded him calmly. He could guess as to why Grimmjow had done what he had, because his pride would never allow someone who had almost gotten the best of him to escape. Not even if he had been so easily defeated by a different espada would he relent. Ichigo had not truly been Ulquiorra's prey, but he had defeated him anyways. Similarly, Grimmjow had not really had any interest in the girl, but he had taken her not only for her power, but also to make a statement.

Ulquiorra had felt it. And just like he could not now return to the uninterested self he had been, he could not just allow Grimmjow to get the better of him.

Orihime felt her cheeks burn as Ulquiorra finally looked in her direction. It had been the first time she had seen him since she had struck him, and she couldn't help but feel guilt spread within her. Here she was, healing the man he had nearly killed. But then realization struck her as she looked into his emerald eyes: he _hadn't_ killed him. Ulquiorra, for whatever reason, had left Ichigo alive, though barely so. She had been wrong about him and had even thought it was punishment. He looked at her now as if saying, 'I leave him alive for you and this is how you repay me?'. Now she truly felt like the betrayer, though she could hardly be called that, could she? Grimmjow had left her little choice after all.

Even so, Orihime had to look away, before those eyes burned all the way to her heart and damaged it too.

_I see - she feels guilt for this._

She had been unable to look him in the eyes for long, and this small thing settled him somewhat. He was able to collect himself.

"In any case, Aizen-sama has entrusted that girl to me. Hand her over." It was a demand, but not one that was overly threatening and therefore gave Grimmjow plenty of chance to comply.

Of course, he didn't, and instead, Grimmjow became yet another being to comment on his amount of talking.

"You've got a lot to say today, Ulquiorra!"

His eyes widened at the statement even as he blocked the sudden attack with ease. But Grimmjow wasn't done, and he quickly fired a close-range cero, forcing Ulquiorra to deflect it to his sides, allowing it to push him backwards and away from the blue-haired espada and the girl he was guarding. Watching closely, Ulquiorra waited for Grimmjow to let his guard down briefly, and in the moment he moved, appeared above the man's head. At his fingertip, he charged a cero, making sure it wasn't overly powerful. An instant before it could be fired, however, Grimmjow met his cero with one of his own. An explosion occurred as the two energies met, and Ulquiorra was once again propelled backwards as he awaited the next attack from his opponent.

_He will try to surprise me_, he thought, his eyes glancing backwards, ignoring the debris flying around him. His mind swiftly considered his options. He could fight and defeat Grimmjow, though he could tell Grimmjow had much more invested in this fight than he. Inoue Orihime was safe, and it seemed she would not be harmed, for her purpose was to heal the shinigami. A battle, however, could be risky, and Grimmjow would not hold back.

As Ulquiorra glanced back to his front, he made up his mind. He would allow Grimmjow his revenge and have the woman heal the shinigami. As long as he remained guarding the woman, he would not be failing Aizen.

Unfortunately for Ulquiorra, his plan did not go as expected as the 6th espada had a trick up his sleeve. The expected presence at his back was felt, but an unexpected arm reached out to grab at his hollow hole. Looking into icy blue eyes, Ulquiorra saw that he could not escape that which was already in motion. Something small and cube-shaped was placed into his hollow hole, and he felt an almost overwhelming pressure there as he was immediately pulled away, wrapped into a tight space of darkness. Grimmjow had somehow gotten the best of him with an underhanded tactic, one that was so simplistic he had not thought it a possible threat.

Ulquiorra looked out of the quickly closing caja negacion, taking one last look at the wide eyed girl he was now unable to guard. A moment later he saw nothing, as all light was extinguished.

_You're my desert rose…_

_

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_A/N: Big news this week with the release of Ulquiorra's volume poem and Kubo's not-so-subtle way of showing who he was REALLY interested in. If you are an UlquiHime fan and don't know what I'm talking about, feel free to ask. If you know exactly what I mean, then let us continue to bask in the canoness of our pairing X) Ah, and please review (and of course thanks to everyone who does!..all two of you XD;; ) Reviewing will make me continue updating regularly, so it is greatly encouraged.

Beta'd by an alluring chu~

--Miss Soupy


	14. My Curse

**My Curse**

Invisible chains tightened around the trapped espada, threatening to squeeze him out of existence altogether. And they would have too, had it not been for the pressure of reiatsu he used against them. It was a struggle he would not lose, for the power of the caja negacion could not trap him forever. Soon, the little cube would be used up, eaten away by his enormous power, and he would be free once again. But for now, he was its prisoner, for if he relented in this silent battle, it could trap him forever.

Ulquiorra felt tired. He did not feel fatigue of the body for he was still strong, and in fact, unbelievably so. No - it was his mind that felt slow, and he didn't think it was due to his current state but instead for other reasons. He felt as if he was drowning, even though he was breathing normally. There was something at the tip of his mind, some important thought that he could not quite grasp the meaning of. But how could he grasp that which he could not even name? What was this nameless thing he wondered at?

Something his mind could not understand; was this even possible?

Ulquiorra thought back to the girl he had seen mere moments before. She was still loyal to the boy, and she would have protected him with her own body if she needed to. The defeat of her hero had not changed her feelings, then. In fact, it may have even brought them closer, but how? Was it merely the correct events happening in the correct order, or was there more? When someone is defeated, when one side has no hope, is it not natural to choose the stronger side? How is it that she fought what is natural?

Does she not fear death?

He didn't know, and no amount of information on her could open his eyes to the meaning of her choice. Her actions were so alien now; what he thought had been easily predictable seemed to be the complete opposite. Ulquiorra had even been able to understand Grimmjow, but was that merely because he was an arrancar as well? Did being human make one more chaotic, or was it the other way around?

Humans did not know the pain the arrancar felt, the pain he was forced to always live with. He had tried to numb it for so long, and it meant little if he was half alive as long as it was lessened somewhat. But now he struggled with it anew, as if it had just awoken within him and was screaming for attention.

The chains tightened. Somewhere within his hollow lifted its shadowy head and he felt a surge of reiatsu. It was almost more than he could stand, this feeling of suffocating on his own power. How could he stop it? Or, more importantly, who had caused it to awaken?

_This is my curse_.

Was it her? Did she awaken it? Could it be her bright innocent eyes that he had turned into haunted ones? The answer, he felt, was held there somewhere with her, in that fragile body and fragile smile. But what could she hide from him? And just where could she hide it? Where did her strength come from? Was it possible it came from the same source that had made her life forfeit?

_So many questions and no one to answer them…unfortunate._

His muscles strained against his bindings, reiatsu sparking to repel the power of the tiny cube stuck within his hollow hole. He would have his answers soon, and no one would stand in his way. He would prove them wrong, even if he had to crush them all to do so, because what he knew to be true could not be fought against.

Because if it turned out he was wrong…his whole world would burn, and then how would he survive? In the end, he too was no more than a beast; a beast following beastly rules.

There was nothing more.

There couldn't be…

_Dying inside these walls…_

_

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_A/N: Next chapter expect a reunion! I'm probably going to only update this fic weekly as I don't see much need to update any quicker. Thanks for reading.

Beta'd by a quirky chu

--Miss Soupy


	15. Alive with the Glory of Love

A/N: Ah, and the reunion! For this chapter I chose Alive with the Glory of Love by Say Anything. When I heard this song I was immediately reminded of this point in the manga. I find it somewhat..revolutionary. The song itself seems to be about war (wwII, nazis, etc.) I love the first line too; it reminds me of the look Ulquiorra gave Orihime upon his return.. X)

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**Alive With the Glory of Love**

Her face burned where Aizen had touched her. She wished she could rub at the spot until there was nothing left, but she held her hands still at her side. Not even her powers could erase the taint.

_What have I done?_

She had been played for a fool. It would have been better to allow Ulquiorra to kill her back then rather than allow herself to become the bait in the elaborate trap Aizen had set.

Orihime hung her head. Blaming herself now did nothing, and even so, there was no way she could have known. She had not the brilliant mind of Aizen; she was merely a silly girl who was ruled by her silly heart, and even she had known there had to be more to things than what Aizen sweetly told her. At least her friends had help now, from the captains of Soul Society. Perhaps there was still a glimmer of hope.

He was still speaking, that clever snake of a man. Orihime had never really hated anyone, not even her parents, whom Sora had called demons. He always grew strangely silent when she brought them up. She could barely remember them; they were just loud fuzzy memories she didn't think on, but Sora had suffered through it too long to ever forget. Perhaps it had been them that caused her brother, once he died, to finally give into the anger that had always been in him.

If her parents had been demons who tortured her and her brother, then Aizen was even worse. Aizen, she thought, she might hate. He had caused so much pain and heartache within Soul Society and within Hueco Mundo, and now he wished to do so in the human world as well. But the most important question that remained for all: could he really be stopped? She didn't know, and she didn't want to give voice to her waning hope, for she feared that it was gone altogether. The reality of it all could destroy her.

Something felt strange in the air nearby, as if some huge pressure was pushing, pushing…

"…I'm leaving Las Noches to you, Ulquiorra."

A hand broke through the space in front of Aizens throne, and then an arm and a body followed suit, tearing the very air apart as if it was nothing more than glass.

"Of course." A voice said, a voice that was deep and cold and yet so familiar. Her hair billowed as she turned, a bright curtain of color against a colorless background, shock written upon her face. There in the distance, standing beside the throne, was Ulquiorra.

He had already noticed her, even before she had turned to look at him with her face all surprise and uncertainty. Aizen had commanded him, and he had answered the call, but his full attention had not been on his master this time. He felt himself on the verge of something, and it stood just there, within the small body before him.

What irony it was that he had been made temporary king while standing next to the throne. He could command whatever he wished of her. But the look she gave him, the worry, reminded him that she was not solely his as long as her companions would fight to take her back.

_Let them try_, he thought coldly. He had missed his chance, twice now; once when she had struck him, the shock forcing him to leave, and then again when Grimmjow had made his move against him and trapped him. But now, now he would not allow himself to be removed and he would not allow anyone to take her again.

He walked towards her, his eyes never straying from hers, those haunted eyes that he had created. Even now, he could not identify fear within them, but perhaps she was just good at masking it. She did not look away from him this time, and he was pleased she hadn't. It seemed she had taken his advice, to never show fear. His own words echoed within his mind, _the beasts will tear you apart._

Did he truly associate himself with those very beasts he warned of? No, he had always thought of himself as somehow separate, as if he existed on a different level than the rest; an untouchable half moon, cold and distant, but never completely whole. But now, looking at her, guessing what she must think, he knew he was the same, and the thought caused a sharp ache at his hollow hole.

A ways off, he could feel the shinigami move. It seemed he had realized that Ulquiorra had returned; he likely remembered, once again, who Ulquiorra was guarding and had charged ahead. It was all the better, Ulquiorra thought, that he came now.

He had remembered what he was, and now nothing could hold him back from the battle to come. And when Kurosaki Ichigo lay dead, then also would all doubt be dead within him, for there truly could not be a way for the shinigami to win. This fight, he felt deep within his hollow side, would be to the death.

Beauty looked upon the beast, and the beast looked up and away as he called out the challenge.

"Come, Kurosaki Ichigo."

Her eyes fell as sadness overcame her, but Ulquiorra paid it no mind. There was time now, and for the moment he had her, and then when the shinigami was defeated for the last time, he could rest assured she would never escape.

But for now, there were things he needed to know, and only she could answer his questions. Whatever the connection that he now had with her was, this mysterious thing that had been born, he would not be free of it until he knew.

_I won't let them take you, won't let them take you._

_

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_A/N: well, I feel kinda sad no one reviewed last chapter...please don't forget to review and tell me what you think. Next chapter, finally, the heart discussion, one of the best ulquihime moments.

Beta'd by a squishable chu

--Miss Soupy


	16. Famous Last Words

A/N: Thanks so much for the support last chapter! I really felt better after reading your reviews. This is one of the most heart-felt scenes in the entire manga, I think, so I hope I did it justice. I chose **Famous Last Words** by **My Chemical Romance **as the song for this chapter; I think the dual phrases of 'Honey if you stay I'll be forgiven', and 'Nothing you can say can stop me going home' represent Ulquiorra and Orihime respectively. Truthfully though, it was hard choosing a song worthy of this part int he manga.

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**Famous Last Words**

He was looking at her still, even as he moved purposefully towards her. Somehow he managed to walk nonchalantly, even as his stare was so piercing. Every step was so calculated, every word carefully planned.

"Are you afraid?"

She felt so tired, and it showed in her eyes. They had dulled so much since coming to this place; she felt as if she was another person altogether. Ulquiorra's eyes, those deep emerald pools that had no end, however, seemed brighter still. They were more beautiful than any jewel she had ever seen, and it almost seemed ironic that he had them at all. Naturally, he didn't care what his eyes looked like. Orihime secretly thought that maybe the small specks of color he actually did have reflected the bits of him that desired more.

Orihime allowed the question to drift back through her thoughts. _Am I afraid?_

How could he ask such a question of her anyways?

Who would not be scared, being in her place, knowing that the person you loved was coming, perhaps to his death? And she could be killed so easily here too, she knew, as worthless as she was.

As if guessing her very thoughts, he continued, "Aizen-sama doesn't need you anymore, and there is no one left to protect you."

Still he came closer, the sound of his steps swallowed by the hugeness of the room. "It's over. Out of everyone's reach, you will die here. All alone." He emphasized the final word, as if he knew the fear she held in her heart.

He came closer still, never looking away, but neither did she. He stopped finally, right before her, and she looked up at him, her eyes filled with sadness. But she found his face absent of anger or aggression, even as he spoke of death and fear.

"I'm asking you if you are afraid."

It was animal instinct to fear death, and she would of course hold that instinct within her as well. Men, arrancar, and even shinigami all feared death and fought against it however they could. But that wasn't what he was really asking, she knew. For what separated men from beasts was the ability to move past that fear, to accept death, to maybe even find peace in it. That was where the difference between them lay. While he was bound by his fear, she was not, and because of that she was the stronger of the two in that moment.

Ulquiorra watched her lips as they parted and her voice rang pure and honest as she answered, "I'm not."

His breath stilled in that moment, as if stolen away by something bigger, stronger than he. And she seemed to grow before him, from a tiny human girl, into something wise and unidentifiable. Her color seemed that much more vibrant suddenly, and though her eyes remained sad, the light had returned to them briefly.

Ulquiorra remained silent, captured within this strange spell as she spoke again, "Everybody came to save me. My heart…my spirit…will always be with them."

It was absurd. How could this girl feel strength from such a hopeless situation? Her friends would probably lose, and at the moment she probably thought herself unreachable, and yet she had brightened so much just from the mere mention of them.

How was this possible?

Ulquiorra asked again, forming the words that made no sense to him, "Your friends have come for you, so you feel no fear? Are you seriously saying this to me?"

Orihime saw that he truly did not understand, and she felt pity within her. He didn't seem so bad now, or so deadly, and she was able to release a shaky breath before replying, "Yes."

She thought of Ichigo then, and all of her other friends, and she felt courage enter her, flooding into her through the ties that they shared.

"When I first heard that they had come to rescue me, I was a little happy, but mostly I was sad."

Her words weren't just for Ulquiorra anymore, but for herself as well, a reminder of what she had done, and she bent her body slightly with the weight of it all.

"I thought to myself, I came here to protect everyone, so why did they come for me? Why wouldn't they just accept it and move on?"

All of the worry and pain she had gone through came rushing back to her, as if she was reliving everything again, and she bowed her head even further. Ulquiorra watched curiously, sensing some deep pain and yet not knowing why it was there. Whenever he felt discomfort, he usually shoved it aside; but she, she was bringing it all out, forcing herself to feel it, even if it crushed her.

"But," she went on gently, her voice sweet and smooth, not betraying the pain she felt, "When I felt Kuchiki-san fall, and when I saw Kurosaki-kun fighting, I knew that how I felt before didn't matter anymore. I just didn't want Kurosaki-kun to get hurt. I just…wanted everyone to be all right. And that's when I realized…"

Her expression was changing, softening. The weight was lessening, rising up off of her shoulders, as if dried away by her own inner light.

_The rising sun_, his hollow side whispered, frightened and yet curious.

"I realized they probably felt the same. That if any one of them had disappeared like I had…" she looked up at him and her face shown with something _beautiful_. "Without a doubt, I would've done the exact same thing."

Before that moment, Ulquiorra had never categorized anything as beautiful, but he could find no other words to describe her then. But while his instincts warned him of danger, he did not shrink away this time. She was, to him, like water in the desert to a man who had never been able to quench his thirst.

"…maybe it's impossible to feel exactly the same as someone else, but, if that person is important to you, you can leave a bit of your heart with them."

She looked down in thought, her eyes kind and full of emotion as she realized, "I think that's what it means, to make your hearts as one."

A normal Ulquiorra would scoff at her innocent views of the world and of people and blatantly tell her she was wrong. And then it would be over, and she would disappear beneath the sands, never to be seen again, while he remained in his never-ending darkness.

But he did not scoff, if only because he could truly not be cruel to her in this moment, when she had shared all. She was looking at him with such strong emotion shining within her eyes, as if she was saying, _you too Ulquiorra, you too have a heart_.

His tear streaks burned as he thought of it, their presence cutting into his skin while the emptiness of his hollow hole threatened to engulf him.

No.

Whatever this woman thought he possessed was wrong, for she did not know what lay within the depths of his hollow soul. If she knew, certainly she would think differently about him. If she saw his despair, how crushing it was, she would fear him and know him for the monster he was, and hold no hope in his salvation. It must be true, that she could say these things because she had not seen who and what he really was. As she saw him now was a mere glimpse of his true self.

But still, the fact that she held some belief intrigued him, so he found himself saying, "Heart?" The word felt so foreign on his tongue and he marveled at how easy she could say it. "You humans say that word so easily, like it's something you can hold in your hands."

She was really watching him now, not thinking of the past or her friends, but focusing only on him, and for some strange reason he felt himself wanting to hold her gaze.

His pale hand came up to his eye, showing her, "This eye of mine is all-seeing. There is nothing it can't perceive." He removed his hand and held it out towards her. "That which I cannot see does not exist. That is how I have always fought."

A moment later he had stretched out his arm further, his eyes looking at a space on her chest. "What is a heart?"

It was such an innocent question, so small, yet so worldly. Her eyes widened. He did not even know what a heart was. Her words, as intriguing as they had sounded, were nothing more than empty words about some foreign emotion he had _never_ felt. Orihime had never met anyone who had never felt love in their entire life. Even horribly bad humans most likely had felt it, even if they had discarded it later. But Ulquiorra was not a human, she suddenly remembered. He was an arrancar, a hollow; he was a being that had lost his heart.

She blinked, and the one moment where she had remembered this had passed and was replaced by another; in this moment he had finally reached her. In this moment his hand dared to touch her gently on her chest.

"Will I find it if I rip your chest open?"

She saw him staring at the spot he was touching, as if his arm had ceased to be his own from the action. And even though his words seemed so rough, his voice had not been threatening.

"Will I find it if I crack open your skull?"

Orihime wanted to cry. Could it be he had been looking for the heart even before she came? Had she merely given a name to the thing he sought, or was it like this for all arrancar?

Briefly, the image of Ichigo, lying unconscious with a gaping hole in his chest, came to mind. Ulquiorra had done that, in the same place he touched her now. Grimmjow had said it was a habit of his.

_Oh Ulquiorra,_ she thought with true sadness, _you will never find the heart looking in those places._

She was going to tell him, and then maybe he'd stop; maybe he'd let her go and all could be forgiven. She couldn't hate him for what he had done, not if he didn't know, not if he was so lost.

Orihime opened her mouth to speak, and Ulquiorra saw her do so. His body seemed to tremble in anticipation of what she might say.

_Now will I know?_

But then that moment also left, shattered like the wall behind them as Ichigo made his entrance, all fire and passion as he was supposed to be. They would never know now what would become of that could-be moment because it disappeared in the debris.

Once again, they were reminded of their places. Ichigo was the hero. Orihime was the captive. And Ulquiorra, he was the villain.

He was the villain because he would not let her go, and it was true enough, because he _couldn't_. Ulquiorra also couldn't harm her, but Ichigo needn't know that. All he needed to know was that he had taken her and would keep her unless defeated. But he would hurt her, if he defeated the shinigami, and suddenly the battle seemed all the more difficult. Let it be so. He could surround himself with battle instead of his wayward thoughts about hearts, and bonds, and silly bright girls that changed the world.

Though, in honesty, Ulquiorra felt threatened by the fight that was about to ensue. He honestly did not know if he would win. Ulquiorra knew he could, that he had the strength to do so, and even quickly if he liked. Thinking of this, he turned his head away from her, for the first time since he had returned. He feared the longer he watched her, the more he would lose himself in her, and then he would never win. As Ichigo stood there, looking at them, Ulquiorra mused at what an odd pair he and the girl must look; as if they should not appear together.

They were so unblendable.

He wanted her to stay, and she wanted to go home, but the kindness within her heart would keep her where she was _needed_. His soul depended on it.

_Honey if you stay I'll be forgiven…_

…_Nothing you can say can stop me going home._

_

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_A/N: I hope you keep the reviews coming! I'd love to know your thoughts. Next chapter is back to business; the battle over Orihime begins!

Beta'd by a fantastical chu

--Miss Soupy


	17. Do I Disappoint You

A/N: Oho, I love Ulquiorra's little tantrum at being called human. Who is in denial now, Ulqui-kun? For this chapter I chose **Do I Disappoint You** by **Rufus Wainwright**. I think this chapters song speaks about finding likeness, even when one might not want to find it. 'Do I disappoint you in just being human?' 'Do I disappoint you in just being lonely?' 'Do I disappoint you in just being like you?'

It's also very dark and chaotic, reminding me of Ulquiorra/the hollow. 'Baby you can't see inside. No baby, no you can't save my soul.'

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**Do I Disappoint You**

She stood in the background, completely forgotten as the two men fought. The air hummed with the intensity of their power, and each time their swords met, she felt the resounding impact of the strike hit her somewhere within. Each time Ulquiorra swung his sword and Ichigo barely was able to block it, she held her breath anxiously. And then it would be Ichigo's turn to go on the offensive, and Ulquiorra would gracefully negate anything that was sent his way. The battle was so fast, she had to stare intensely to even follow it. Orihime felt herself shrink as she watched Ichigo. He was stronger than the last time he had fought; his power grew so fast while she was so unchanging.

Ulquiorra had noticed the change too, and commented on it. "Is it because of your fight with Grimmjow? Or perhaps…" he paused a moment, looking unblinkingly at Ichigo. "It's for that woman."

It was a reminder that he had not forgotten her there, even if she had allowed herself to fall away into the background until her savior won. He felt her eyes, though he did not look, instead watching the silent shinigami slowly rise to face him again.

"Or could it be," he went on, when he received no confirmation or denial, "for all your friends fighting at the base of the tower?"

When he found nothing in his eyes but anger and determination, he turned to look in her direction. She suddenly seemed so far away, though she certainly was close enough that she could easily be harmed by a stray attack. The white of her dress stood out against the dark backgrounds of the room, a clear reminder of who she belonged to.

"The woman is already one of us," his voice was as unwavering as stone, full of sharp edges and crushing reality, "That won't change, no matter how hard you try."

Guilt flowed into her, and when he saw it upon her face he looked away. "There is no point in saving her."

Ichigo, as expected, rose to his challenge, the fire returning to his eyes as he said through gritted teeth, "That's not something you get to decide!"

Ulquiorra could have smiled then, at the ease with which the shinigami had taken his bait.

"You're right," he agreed, preparing to fight once more, "Aizen-sama does."

Had he said the name to remind the girl or to remind himself to whom they belonged? He wasn't sure; the name had come off of his tongue as if he had been possessed to say it, and Ulquiorra felt how irreversible his path truly was.

And Orihime was left to question why, why did the arrancar follow that horrible man? Did he promise them so much? Was the illusion of grandeur that strong? Or were they like moths, drawn to the dark light that was Aizen? She had been singled out to become one of them, being forced to go through her own change just to stay afloat in their harsh world. Ulquiorra had said she was one of them, as had Grimmjow, and she felt she had no voice to deny it. Why had she been put in this position? Why did Ulquiorra defend it so strongly? Aizen didn't need her. He had tossed her aside so easily, and yet Ulquiorra had not done the same.

She looked at the glossy black floor which mirrored her image, her white self, a self so different than what she had been. She was closer to being an arrancar than a shinigami now, and yet what divided her from becoming one was something so strong that she could never cross over. And there was Ulquiorra, just as white and as lost as she.

Perhaps they were not so different.

Suddenly, Ichigo seemed to take the upper hand as he grasped Ulquiorra's arm and slashed across his chest. His clothing had been ripped open, revealing his tattoo, which stood out darkly against his pale skin. Ulquiorra saw he had nothing more than a scratch, though it surprised him that he could be wounded at all. It seemed he still could bleed, and this seemed to boost the shinigami's confidence quite a bit.

"You're barely cut. That hierro stuff is pretty hard after all." He acted far too happy with himself, and Ulquiorra felt his mood darken. "But, it looks like I can read your movements much better than last time."

What was this now? "What?"

"I couldn't read your movements at all before," he explained as Ulquiorra and Orihime listened, "Attacks, defense, reactions, speed, direction…no matter what it was, I couldn't read a thing. It was like fighting a machine."

Ulquiorra watched him silently, watched as a confident grin spread across his face and he look pointedly into his eyes, unafraid now as he continued, "Does being able to read all of that now mean that I'm closer to being a hollow? Or maybe…it just means you're closer to being human."

At those words, Ulquiorra felt something within himself break, or perhaps it had sparked. He really wasn't sure. All he knew was his anger, anger at the ridiculous idea this human had dared to propose. Anger that this _human_ thought he knew anything at all about _him_. He was a hollow, another class entirely, one that preyed upon humans like him. And he, he thought he could understand him? That he could reach him?

Never before had Ulquiorra experienced such a blinding feeling as he did now, and without a thought to what he was doing, he unleashed this feeling into his sword and broke the ground apart. His arm trembled with the ferocity in which he gripped the hilt, but still he managed to keep his voice calm.

"You're telling me…that I've come closer to being like you humans…?"

He thought of her then, without wanting to, and of how he had almost spat the word - _human_. She was watching him now, he knew, and as to what she must have been thinking, he couldn't say. Ulquiorra had never gotten very good at guessing her reactions, and he felt further removed from her now. If he had wanted to understand her before, now he felt he wished nothing more than for them both to just disappear. Disappear before they crushed anymore of his world.

So the shinigami thought he understood him now? That if he could read his movements, he must be able to read his very thoughts, and perhaps understand his very being. He scoffed mentally, knowing it could not be so. Ulquiorra would show him the real difference between them; his anger was such that he could not stop himself even if he wanted to. The hollow part of his soul demanded it.

Orihime noticed a difference in him a moment before he attacked, and she gasped at his sudden increase in speed.

"I see…Being able to keep up with me at this level makes you feel pretty good, it seems."

It was a comment meant to antagonize, she knew, but his voice held so much more darkness now than it had, and she felt her worry grow. He hadn't liked it, being called human-like, though she found it strange he had reacted so strongly to it. Ulquiorra never seemed to be bothered by _anything_. He was so stone-like towards everything, but suddenly he seemed so…_driven_. And what was worse, Ichigo hadn't been prepared for the change either.

She wanted to scream, to yell out, tell him to move, but her voice was lost somewhere, and all she could do was watch in horror as Ichigo flailed, trying to escape the arrancar who was much faster and stronger than he had been a moment ago.

When Ulquiorra moved silently out of reach, falling behind the shinigami, he knew he had caught him off guard and that he wouldn't be able to escape his strike. But when his arm extended, sword ready to slice through flesh, he was met with a hard, almost glass-like material that blocked his attack completely. As the warm glow of the shield disappeared, falling to the ground in pieces, he turned slowly to look at her.

She hadn't hesitated, just as he had told her. She still was the strong woman he had thought her to be, even if her strength was overshadowed by the shinigami she had just protected.

The look he fixed on her made her feel strange, as if he was unsure of how to react to her behavior, but she kept the bravest face she could muster and unblinkingly looked back. Was there awe in those eerie green pools, or was it surprise, or anger? Or did he just feel nothing and was merely observing her because she was there.

"What are you doing?" he asked suddenly, breaking the tension that had built in the space of that moment.

She blinked, confused at the question. To her it had been a rather obvious answer, one that he had to know. Why would he ask?

Her confusion showed, because she stammered back, "…huh?"

He pushed her further by repeating, "I'm asking you why you saved him."

_What is he doing, _she wondered, feeling that the question was somehow a trick but not knowing what he was truly getting at.

"Why? Well I…" she started, unsure of herself, her face innocent confusion as she tried to explain.

But he was not really looking for an answer because he broke in a second later, "Because he is your friend?" Her brows furrowed seriously as he looked at her coldly. "If that is the case, then why didn't you protect him from the very beginning? Why did you hesitate?"

Her mouth opened but she found she couldn't form sentences to answer his query. Doubt overcame her and she wondered, _why didn't I?_

He could have answered that question too, because she hadn't hesitated, not really. There had been no reason for her to protect Kurosaki in the beginning; it had only been just now that he had truly been in danger. But her emotions were so close to the surface, so apart of her every action, that it was easy to make her feel doubt. Especially here in this place, especially as she stood in that uniform opposite to the shinigami that was her friend.

He knew he was cruel and she was truly undeserving of it. But he was not like her and he would not be sensitive to her feelings here. He had warned her this world was dangerous and unkind, so she should expect nothing less.

_The weak are consumed_, his hollow side whispered, and Ulquiorra had to agree.

Ulquiorra used her doubt about herself to his own advantage as he continued, "You don't get it do you? Let me tell you. You are-"

"Shut up already!" Ichigo's voice rang out, forcing Ulquiorra to give him his attention once more. "It doesn't matter if she was hesitating or not. So just shut the hell up!"

Ulquiorra kept silent as the shinigami turned to address Orihime, his voice becoming gentler but still remained stern as he said, "Thanks for protecting me Inoue, but it's dangerous here, so stay back."

She whispered his name, wanting to say she would help him, but Ichigo was already focused upon Ulquiorra.

He stood off, distanced from them both, but he had heard the shinigami's name whispered silently from her lips and he felt a sudden pang of something within him.

_What is this,_ he wondered, his body stooped slightly as he looked to his opponent.

"Ulquiorra, you're talking quite a lot, you know that?" Ichigo called, challenging him, "I thought you were more the silent type."

His eyes widened as the phrase echoed within his ears, mocking him for the third time. But this time he did not move, he did not step up to the challenge but instead waited. Still, he wondered at the feeling, only partially watching as the shinigami prepared his attack. But instead of firing the blast, Ichigo charged at him, his getsuga attached to his sword. Ulquiorra stopped it with an arm, somewhat surprised he had tried something new, but otherwise unaffected by the attack.

Suddenly Ulquiorra understood it, what he had heard within that pleading whisper. Recognition from the person she wanted it from the most. He felt understanding then, as well as the knowledge that he knew what the shinigami did not.

She was lost too.

_Do I disappoint you in just being like you?_

_

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_A/N: Next chapter the battle continues, but other characters will appear. I'm sure you can guess what ones! Thank you again to my reviewers, and please tell me what you thought of this chapter!

Beta'd by a sexy chu

--Miss Soupy


	18. Misery Loves Its Company

A/N: This chapter was really hard for me to pick a song for. It had so many different things happen at once... Eventually I settled upon Misery Loves Its Company by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. This theme can be used for many of the arrancar: the twins for certain, Ulquiorra is another definite. Ulquiorra, once again, is in inner turmoil. I love the panels where he is standing lonely off to the side, his body bent (while Ishida and Ichigo are bickering). He looked incredibly sad there, so I wanted to reflect that lost/despairing vibe I got. Oh, and as far as Ulquiorra's inner hollow, you will be seeing more of him~

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**Misery Loves Its Company**

She watched from the sidelines, well distanced from their attacks and completely forgotten once more.

_What should I do, _she questioned herself, full of trepidation and worry. It seemed Ichigo did not really wish for her help. Perhaps he did not trust her; Ulquiorra had said before that the weak were preyed upon, and he had used her own weakness against her by highlighting her doubt. He had warned her, but she had not expected that _he_ would be the one to do so.

So engrossed within the battle and her own thoughts was she, that Orihime did not notice the two pairs of hands reach out from the darkness behind her. Swiftly, they clamped over her mouth and dragged her down.

Her eyes darted to the side as her cheek was crushed under a rough hand, the face of the pig-tailed arrancar appearing before her sight.

"Gotcha," the girl spat, her voice and countenance full of malice. "Remember me? Probably not, right? A freak like you would have no reason to remember someone like ME!"

Orihime couldn't look away, couldn't run, as her neck was forced to look in the first twin's direction and her body was held down by the other.

"But I think it's about time your little reign came to an end." Her voice was becoming hysterical now, developing a maddening edge as she went on, "Aizen-sama said it himself. You've served your purpose. No matter what we do to you now, he won't punish us for it anymore!"

Her eyes widened fearfully at her words. _They want to kill me._

An arm snaked around her back as she attempted to pull away. An evil smile fell upon her face as she hissed, "You're done for. I'm gonna take back everything you took from me!"

And she did tear her down. She grabbed Orihime by her dress and tore the fabric at her shoulder, her nails digging into her revealed skin.

Ichigo and Ulquiorra looked over, suddenly aware of the intruders.

"Inoue!"

Understanding dawned on Ulquiorra upon seeing the two. When he had found them in her room, he had been surprised, but had accepted their story that it had been Grimmjow who had done the damage and taken her. He had not questioned them further and had only focused on Grimmjow at the time. But now he fully witnessed the lengths to which they took their jealousy.

He looked at the two, observed their glee as they beat her, and he felt his familiar pain return.

_They lash out at what had tried to save them…_

Ichigo was moving to attack, roaring in anger at the two. Reflexively, Loli shielded herself with Orihime, poising one hand before her eye.

"Stay back! Come any closer and I'll gouge out her eye!"

He didn't stop, his sight focused upon the enemy and nothing else as he prepared Getsuga. Ulquiorra flew in front of the attack not a moment too soon and blocked it, his arms spread, unrelenting.

_Foolish shinigami_, he thought, suddenly angered with his brash decision. Did he wish to destroy the girl as well? Surely he did not think the female arrancar would allow herself to get hit when she had a perfect shield to stand in the way.

"Ulquiorra!" the dark haired twin exclaimed, surprised at his behavior.

His head turned to look in their direction. "Do not get the wrong idea," he said coldly, his voice low, "I wasn't trying to save you."

He sent the twin a dangerous look, and she gritted her teeth at him rebelliously. Without looking, he sensed Ichigo swinging his sword, and he blocked it effortlessly.

The woman was grimacing in pain as they held her, their grips digging into her soft human flesh. But she did not fight back. She did not move to defend herself but merely took their attacks silently. Her eyes were fearful, but also sad, and though he searched for hatred within them, he found none.

"Move it!"

"Make me."

But he could not be her savior.

"If you want to pick fights with others, you will have to kill me first."

"Shut up! Move!"

They punched her head and her knees buckled, causing her to fall to the ground.

_Why do you not fight back, woman?_

He held Ichigo back, but even as he did so, the abuse she was suffering distracted him. For once, Ulquiorra was unsure of himself, unsure if his actions were correct. But he had chosen, and he could not look back now. The twins were not out to kill, he surmised; instead, humiliation seemed to be their true goal.

And she would not fight back, because she hated seeing anyone in pain. Even her enemies.

But would she care about his pain?

His hollow side called for action. _It would be so easy to crush them_, it whispered. _Destroy whatever tries to take that which is yours._

_Mine?_ He questioned back, unsure of himself. _She belongs to Aizen-sama._

_It is no longer about Aizen-sama,_ it replied. _It is about you, Ulquiorra._

He was silent then, because he knew it was true. But still he wondered at it, for never before had he needed confirmation from his hollow side. Before, they had always been as one mind, their thoughts never straying from their one joint path. Why were they suddenly at odds, as if their frequencies were no longer synchronized?

_Strange._

Before he could wonder anymore at this, however, a giant explosion rocked him out of his thoughts. He knew the reiatsu immediately, and turned, annoyed, to see the huge crater Yammy had left in the wall through which he had entered.

"ULQUIORRA!" the giant arrancar called playfully as he pulled himself out of the rubble he had created. "I'm here to give ya a hand!"

Fighting the urge to cringe at the loud espada, Ulquiorra replied curtly, "And just who asked you to do that, Yammy?"

Yammy grinned. "Come on, don't say that. That shinigami brat looks like he's really gotten stronger. Let me take him on."

For a moment Ulquiorra studied him, sensing something different about him. Green eyes widening, he finally realized what it was. "I see…it seems you've completely recovered, haven't you?"

This was a potential problem. If Yammy had recovered to his full strength, he was a ticking time bomb ready to explode, taking everyone with him in the process. He did not hold back against anyone, nor did he differentiate between friend and foe. Instead, he blindly attacked everything in his path.

Turning his back, Ulquiorra dismissed him. "You're not needed here. Either go back to sleep or go take care of those captains down below."

Yammy, however, did not take no so easily, for he laughed and said, "What? Don't be so stingy, Ulquiorra!"

"One of your weaknesses is that you become increasingly selfish in situations like this, Yammy." Ulquiorra warned, attempting to rein the giant in. But he had already moved his attention elsewhere, and his warning was lost.

A moment later, there was another crash, as the first of the twins was sent flying into a wall by a massive hand.

"Ulquiorra! What are these two doin' here?" he asked loudly, the excitement evident on his face.

From her spot on the floor, Orihime stared at the broken wall, horrified at what she had just seen.

_How could someone do this? Aren't they comrades?_

Forcing her throbbing head to turn, she stared at the still turned back of Ulquiorra as he said indifferently, "Ask them yourself."

Orihime's heart quivered in fear as she realized there was nothing standing in the way of the giant and his new target. Ulquiorra had made it obvious that he didn't care what happened to the two girls, and truthfully, neither should she have. But the pained way the girl had screamed her sister's name had caused Orihime's heart to jump into her throat.

Suddenly, Orihime was shoved out of the girls grasp as Loly attempted to defend herself.

She didn't turn to look, too afraid of what else she might witness. This was the arrancar who had crushed Tsubaki as if he were nothing more than a fly. And he would do the same with this girl.

Somewhere in the distance, she thought she heard Ichigo call her name, but the sound was drowned out by Loly's cries as she released her resurrection.

Ulquiorra had to stop Ichigo once again, reminding him of what he had to do to get to the girl. Whatever happened to the twins was of little importance. They had put themselves in this situation of their own volition, and their terrorizing would come with a price. What troubled him more was the woman who sat hunched over on the floor, her face bruised and filled with disbelief.

Surely she would defend herself against Yammy. He had harmed her before and she definitely remembered it. She should have learned by now, shouldn't she?

When she heard a wail of pain, Orihime's head jerked towards the sound. "Wait!" her voice cried out, strained and pleading. It was a nightmare. To her, there was nothing worse than seeing a life be snuffed out before her very eyes, even if that life belonged to someone who didn't deserve her pity.

Hearing her, Ulquiorra had forced Ichigo away and turned to look in her direction. Calling out was the worst thing she could have done, as Yammy had now shifted his attention to her.

"You say somethin'?"

He was advancing on her already, but she didn't move, only stared wide-eyed at the arrancar.

"Hey Ulquiorra, you won't mind if I kill this one too, will ya?"

Ulquiorra struck at Ichigo distractedly but began pulling away a second later. Inwardly, his hollow raged. Before he could act, however, someone else stepped in.

The Quincy had now appeared, and made quick work of the giant. As the espada disappeared through the floor, Ulquiorra stepped away unnoticed. He did not feel sorry for Yammy this time; he was often far too stupid for his own good, and his desire to butt in had truly angered him. Even more, his threatening demeanor towards the woman had filled him with a rage he was unused to.

Now, as he stood detached from the rest, he tried to calm himself.

_This battle is becoming increasingly problematic_, he thought, watching the shinigami and the Quincy interact.

_Slipping away like sand through your fingers,_ his hollow whispered in return, almost taunting him.

Ulquiorra frowned. What was happening to him? Why was his hollow acting out against him?

Knowing his thoughts, the dark creature replied. _Do not blame me. This is not my doing. I am only able to change as you do._

Surely he had not changed as much as that. Emerald eyes fell upon the small woman on the floor. How could such a tiny fragile thing hold so much influence?

Ichigo had finally turned his attention back to him. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Ulquiorra," he said, his confidence returned. "This is it. I'm going to show you what you came here to see."

His arm swept over his face, his reiatsu spiking, and he said with his quickly darkening voice, "My hollow."

The transformation was the same as it had been previously, but his power was _not_ the same. The shinigami had grown somehow, and it had surprised him. Ichigo was finding his power just as he was losing his own. His inner turmoil crippled him, but still he managed to stop Ichigo's attack.

Barely.

He dodged, jumping away through the large hole in the half destroyed wall and sent a defensive cero towards the masked man. But, similar to how he had emerged from Ichigo's attacks, Ichigo was unharmed and charging with all that he had.

_What is it, Ulquiorra?_

He watched the shinigami, shocked at his abilities.

_Why aren't you stronger now?_

_I am stronger_, he told it defiantly, though he had not truly pierced his doubts with his brave thoughts.

_Are you afraid?_

_Fear is meaningless_, he replied, but the darkness was already expanding, creeping in.

_But fear gave you life,_ it corrected.

Ulquiorra was silent in light of the resounding truth of the statement. His mind fell upon the moment he had asked the woman the same question. She had been strong in the face of such a grave conversation.

_I need not let it control me_, he told it, somehow assured, and yet his answer felt so alien to his practical mind.

Oddly, he sensed the hollow grin wickedly. _The beginning of the end._

_Wrong_, Ulquiorra said, his will hardening like ice. _There will be no end for me. It must be the shinigami that breaks._

_But how will you defeat him when you hear her cry and see her tears?_

Not allowing his hollow another word, he turned and fled, up and up and up away from the woman and her sad eyes. He didn't stop till he reached the highest point of the tower, all the while Ichigo was hot on his heels. When he reached as high as he could go, he fired a cero and broke through the very ceiling. Finally, bathed within the light of the moon, he stilled, the shinigami stopping somewhere below to watch him.

_Time to finish this._

_When I dream, I see dawn turn into dusk, into dusk_.

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A/N: Thank you to everyone who is taking the time to review! I hope this chapter was enjoyable too. Next chapter...hm..Ulquiorra's turn to show Ichigo who's boss X)

Beta'd by a fanciful chu

--Miss Soupy


	19. Gale

A/N: Kinda late this week, sorry, but I have been pretty busy lately. Unfortunately, this happens to be a short chapter anyways... Ah, I remember how exciting it was finally seeing Ulquiorra's release (and his releases are by far the coolest, hee) For this chapter I had an instrumental called **Gale **by **Insomnium** that seemed to fit very well. Not only does it have rain sounds, it is very lonely sounding and just fits the image of Ulquiorra standing against the moon.. Then it becomes very intense and dark, I love it. As always, if you want to listen to the track you need to visit my livejournal page.

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**Gale**

"Within the dome of Las Noches, two things are strictly forbidden. One is the use of the 'Gran Ray Cero', and the other is for espada ranked cuatro and above to release." Ulquiorra calmly stated when Ichigo had asked of it. "Either one could completely destroy Las Noches."

_Do not hold back, _the hollow whispered excitedly, expectantly, but Ulquiorra would not be allowing the beast the control he wished.

_I am not so foolish; the boy cannot win. Soon he will admit it himself and this battle will be over with. I need not use _that_._

His hollow shrieked in protest, but there was nothing it could do.

Ulquiorra's skin glowed eerily under the moonlight, his sword glinting in his hand as he stood above all. "Bind, Murcielago," he called out as his powers were restored to him from the sword. Immediately he and the tower he stood upon was surrounded by a black wave, and his form began to change within the shadows.

He had realized quickly, when he had discovered the next level of his ressurecion, that utilizing his full release was risky. His vast sea of reiatsu affected a rather large area, and his special abilities were somewhat unwieldy. In truth, he had not spent enough time within his new form and therefore was much more comfortable as he was. He had always felt unsatisfied behaving as a traditional arrancar, releasing everything at once and crushing their opponents. It was always a slight disadvantage to go all out from the start, so he chose to hold himself back.

The wave of black reiatsu fell down over the edge of the pillar. It fell like black rain all around Ichigo, but his concentration did not break. Instead he stared up at where he knew a transformation was occurring.

Ulquiorra could feel his mask extend, weighing down upon his head as it covered him like a helmet. Darkness expanded out from his shoulder blades, taking up the shape of leathery bat wings. His tear streaks burned and thickened upon his face and his nails lengthened. Even his usual attire changed, lengthening into long robes as it split in the center of his chest, revealing his gaping hollow hole.

As the last drops fell, he stood and expanded his wings to their full length, spreading them across the moon. He seemed to stand taller somehow; as if he could tower over Ichigo and yet his height hadn't really changed. The reiatsu he emitted smothered Ichigo, forcing him to press back with his own lest he be unable to breathe.

Seeing him struggle, Ulquiorra spoke, his voice smooth and yet somehow darker. "Don't tremble." Immediately, Ichigo gripped his sword tightly. "Don't break your stance. Sharpen your senses and don't lose your focus for even an instant."

Ulquiorra took a moment to look into Ichigo's eyes.

_He is still determined_, he thought, somewhat pleased and yet the dark side of him wished for nothing more than to rid him of his senseless hope. It had no place here.

It took but a fraction of a second for him to create a lance and move so that he held it at the neck of his opponent. Such was the difference in their powers. There was an explosion as Ichigo reflexively defended with Getsuga, but it only just saved him. Half of his mask broke away from the lance slicing cleanly through it, and blood dripped down his forehead.

Wings spread, Ulquiorra hung in the air effortlessly as a green eye traveled in Ichigo's direction. "You used Getsuga by reflex. A wise move."

He looked at Ichigo, into his hollow eyes that were so similar to his own, upon a mask of the same substance as his, and saw the oceans that separated them.

"Had you not done that, your head would be rolling at my feet."

_When it rains, it pours like HELL_

_

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_A/N: Thank you everyone for your reviews and encouragement! It is greatly appreciated :) Next chapter we will see what Orihime thinks about all of this...

Beta'd by a malibu chu

--Miss Soupy


	20. Suna no Oshiro

A/N: So this weeks chapter song is **Suna no Oshiro** by **Wakeshima Kanon**. I...love this song, so forgive me if it's overused, but I wanted it to fit in this story. Thus, I made it so o3o Actually had it slated for a different chapter, but after I wrote it, it didn't fit anymore so I chose a different song. But, I needed a dark female type of song for Orihime here, so I think it works out X) Aha, and my bad for little plot progression, but I wanted to show Orihime's side of things.

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**Suna no Oshiro**

She had felt it, that gigantic release of power off in the distance. It was a power that was not Ichigo's, a power that could drown everything. Helplessness weighed upon her heavily, and she hugged herself as she stared up unblinkingly at the ceiling. Orihime couldn't see them, but, at the same time, she couldn't bare to look away for even a second. Not when there was such an intense struggle happening over her. She could think of no other reason for the fight. Ichigo wanted to take her back, at least she supposed that it was still his goal. And Ulquiorra…

She bit her lip; he was so confusing. One moment he could be a calm pacifist, asking her questions about things he shouldn't want to know about, and then in the next he could be a brutally cold creature of battle. His true goal eluded her, but his strange behavior could mean he was just as confused as she was.

Her heart felt so lost, even after speaking such brave words to him only moments before. But time here seemed so much longer, as if the seconds were actually hours; everything went at a much slower pace than what she was used to. Orihime felt tugs in two directions. For one, her heart would always follow the lives of her nakama, especially Ichigo. In this she was unchangeable, for her powers were for them and not for herself. And yet her heart could sometimes pull her in directions she did not want to go, upon paths that seemed hopeless. It had led her to the place she was now, with the creatures in white. After everything she had been through and seen, all of the pain she had experienced, she could not deny the sorrow that had blossomed within her. The pain she felt now was truly nothing like the pain the arrancar felt.

She thought back to when the two arrancar girls had been attacked by Yammy, and Loly had cried for her sister and stood up against the espada she could not win against. It was then that Orihime had realized that somewhere buried deep within, they might possess traces of the heart. Ulquiorra must have wondered at its possibility too, she realized, because he had been the only one to actively seek out information about it.

This knowledge, that Ulquoirra wished to know of the heart, perhaps even to find it within himself, was what held her in place. She could not wish for his death, far from it really, for she found herself hoping for his salvation. Ichigo could do it, for he had shown even the noblest of hearts that change is possible. So as she stood painfully still, she prayed that Ulquiorra would open himself to the kindness Ichigo could show him. She had to believe in Ichigo now, because all of her hope had been passed to him; not just for his victory, but for him to show the compassion she knew him capable of.

A soft voice close by called to her and aroused her from her worrying thoughts. Orihime looked, with some surprise, to see Ishida next to her, his kind face full of worry as well. She had almost forgotten him, and she felt guilt for her blunder. He had come to save her too, and no doubt, had been through a lot for her. Briefly, he looked as if he wished to say something but seemed to think better of it, causing her to give him a questioning gaze.

His expression changed and he smiled bravely as he encouraged her, "Don't worry. Kurosaki is going to win."

Her heart jumped at his confident words, but not for the reason it was supposed to. But she forced herself to smile, because she knew he needed to see it. He didn't seem to notice that it didn't quite reach her eyes and that the corners of her mouth trembled slightly.

Somewhere beyond the dome, she felt Ichigo's power building, and she looked up again. In her mind, she could picture the dark reiatsu of Getsuga and the battle cry of the red-headed hero. This was followed by a moment of stillness, which was quickly replaced by another power. The very ground quaked at the size of it, and the air crushed down against the two below until Orihime felt her knees would buckle.

"Inoue-san!" Ishida called worriedly when she had gasped, but his fear was now evident as well. "What the hell?! What's going on up there?"

Her hair blew back from the sweeping energy, but she forced herself to remain standing. Something was tugging at her, demanding her attention. It prickled against her skin and needled into her heart until it sparked something within her. Orihime rarely showed moments of true anger or defiance. In fact, there were only two times she could truly remember allowing her anger to get the better of her. The first had been against Sora, which she had ended up regretting for most of her life. The next had been just recently when she had boldly slapped the fourth espada. Both situations had somehow proven that, deep down, she was stronger than she thought she was, but both times she had also felt guilt for her actions.

While Sora had only ever wanted to make her happy, she knew that Ulquiorra had much different intentions in mind. And now, with this overwhelming show of power, she thought she understood.

_He wants my attention…and yet he is frightened of me._

He had taken the battle elsewhere, and yet he wanted her to see him defeat Ichigo so he could make sure she would observe the difference between them.

Orihime's eyes set with determination. She could not just cower here, she decided, as she looked over to where Ishida stood. Guilt struck within her, again, as she knew her request would hurt him, but she could not afford to hesitate.

"Ishida-kun," he immediately turned his attention to her, surprised that she had finally spoken. "Can you…take me up to the roof, please?" Her voice sounded so small and sad, she realized, and wondered when it had changed so much.

Ishida looked at her for a long moment, but her gaze did not leave his. She was determined to do what she could. In all honesty, she did not know what she would do once she got to her destination, but the pull to be there was now so strong that it could not be ignored.

"…Please…" she whispered again, urgently, and his eyes saddened before agreeing.

_Hold on,_ _I'm coming,_ she thought; though to who, she wasn't sure.

_A prayer that disappeared in the wind…_

_

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_A/N: I hope you liked this chapter! I do feel bad for Orihime, I thinks he really wanted to believe in Ichigo, but the worst possible thing happened. Given that, I suppose you can guess what happens next...

beta'd by a spellbound chu

--Miss Soupy


	21. Cold But I'm Still Here

A/N: I love this chapter (so I'm a big segunda etapa fangirl...). I think someone at the ulquihime FC at BA recc'd **Cold (But I'm Still Here)** by **Evans Blue** awhile back and I looked it up. I really liked it, and a lot of other Evans Blue songs, but this one stuck especially, so here it is. Poor Ulqui...he doesn't understand himself, and yet his hollow does? What's up with that? Anyways, hope you enjoy!

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**Cold (but I'm still here)**

"Cero Oscuras."

At his finger ignited a cero, one that was pitch black, engulfing Ichigo completely in its dark light. Ulquiorra watched as it surrounded the shinigami completely, swallowing him from view. When the darkness subsided, Ichigo fell, his mask completely broken from the attack and his body badly battered.

Ulquiorra flew before him, looking into his still hollow-form eyes, and then sent him soaring into a tower nearby. The battle was over, it seemed, because the shinigami could not damage him, nor escape his attacks. All that was left now was his admittance of the fact.

"Do you understand now?" Ulquiorra called, his wings blowing up protectively around his face as the dust and debris flew up. The dust cleared, revealing the panting shinigami. His clothes were mostly torn away and his body was covered in wounds, and yet still he struggled to stand.

"No matter how much your form and your attacks might resemble those of an arrancar, the truth is that they are simply worlds apart."

He had proven it to the shinigami and to his rebellious hollow. It had been foolish for him to doubt himself as he had. In his resurrected form, he felt as if his head had been cleared, and he knew, once again, just who and what he was.

"For a human or a shinigami to try and obtain power by impersonating a hollow is only natural. However, hollows and humans will never stand as equals."

He descended slowly, the moon illuminating him from behind as he approached where the shinigami knelt in the debris. It seemed he had a hard time breathing, for he was still panting from the impact of the previous attack, but to Ulquiorra's surprise, his hand gripped his sword firmly. Ever so slowly, he rose, his muscles straining and protesting, but he was soon on his feet again. And as he stood, he looked up into Ulquiorra's eyes, one eye human, one eye hollow, both fierce and determined still.

_He is strong_, his hollow said, breaking his silence.

_He is foolish_, Ulquiorra corrected, but he could not ignore he had been unsettled at seeing him stand. There was no chance and yet…still he got to his feet. How? Why?

_A power that you do not have._

_Impossible_, he argued, feeling anger build at his hollow. It made no sense. He could not calculate a reason for the shinigami to continue on when he was so obviously out-classed. It must be that one accepts their limitations, for it is impossible to overcome them. The world was made in such a way that there were bridges that one could not cross. There were barriers that could not be broken, there were impossibilities that could not be destroyed. Standing against fate was pointless…and yet here he was, calling forth getsuga, an attack shown to have no impact on his opponent.

Such was his confusion and anger and disbelief that he found himself yelling, "I'm telling you that it's useless!"

_The world is crumbling_, his hollow growled in amusement, his previous grim warning returning to haunt him.

He swung at the shinigami, his anger forcing him to strike at him. Ichigo flew into a pillar and Ulquiorra followed, easily keeping up. Ulquiorra then hit him again, sending him flying in another direction.

_Why so angry, Ulquiorra?_

He ignored the question and flew to where the shinigami lay in the rubble. Grabbing him by his tattered clothing, he picked him up and held him before him.

"Why?" he demanded coldly, trying to calm himself but failing. "Why won't you just drop your sword? You've seen the huge difference in our powers, and yet you still think you can beat me?"

_What do you have that I do not have?_

To Ulquiorra's annoyance a chuckle erupted from the shinigami as he replied hoarsely, "Power…difference? Shut the hell up." Ichigo smiled down at Ulquiorra. "Do you really think I'd give up just because you are stronger than me?"

The espada could only stare emptily at the bold shinigami.

"So what if you're strong, you bastard. I knew that from the very start. Nothing's going to change, no matter how much of that power you show me…" And then he said, as if it were set in stone: "I will defeat you, Ulquiorra."

Ulquiorra dropped him then, unable to even keep that small contact with the human. His anger had exploded within him, like white-hot fire, though on the outside he managed to remain perfectly calm.

_What does he have that you do not have?_ His hollow repeated, but Ulquiorra ignored it, allowing his anger and despair to surface.

"Pitiful." He spat. "Kurosaki Ichigo, those are the words of someone who does not know _true despair_."

One by one, he broke the chains within, releasing his hollow as the darkness rose, like bile in this throat. The shadows lengthened, covering his body and creeping into his eyes, fueled by his anger, desperation, and despair.

_You know what he has, Ulquiorra._

The ground rumbled and the air hummed from the force of his power.

"Let me show you."

The darkness covered him, changing his features and drowning him in black.

"This is what true despair looks like…"

There was a moment where Ulquiorra blinked and saw an orange glow behind his eyelids, bright and warm like the sun. But then it too was blocked out by the darkness, as if a starless night had drawn across it, even darkening the light of the moon.

Slowly, the shadows faded away, revealing his full form. His arms and legs were covered in black fur, his fingers had extended into dark claws, and his mask had morphed into two long, twisted horns. Ulquiorra's torso was bare except for the space where his hollow hole resided, gaping and empty. A tail extended behind him, flicking restlessly from side to side as he flexed his leathery wings. His sclera had darkened to blue and his iris into a haunting pale yellow.

He knew all beings within the area would feel his power. He knew _she_ would feel it especially.

"Ressureccion Segunda Etapa," he announced to the shocked looking shinigami kneeling before him. "Among the espada, I'm the only one to have reached this second level of release." He looked down coldly, his eyes void of any warmth or light; they were two eerie orbs, animal-like in appearance. "Not even Aizen-sama has seen it."

Ichigo gripped his sword with both his hands.

"You have seen this form, and yet you still have the will to fight?"

Ulquiorra saw his hands trembling at his hilt, but he still made no signs that he would give up.

_There is no way he is not afraid,_ he thought, watching his behavior. _And yet his expression shows he will not give up. Does he really think he can win?_

_What does he have then, what power does he possess that he thinks he could defeat me with?_

_Don't you _see, _Ulquiorra?_ His hollow mind was in proximity to his own now, as if they were one and the same mind, as it should've been; but still there was a disjointing, a separation that seemed to be growing.

Furiously, he called back to it: _I care not what you have to say!_

And he shut it out, instead speaking to his opponent, "Fine…I will make you understand, even if I have to grind your body into dust to do it."

Crouching down, he used all his strength to push himself into flight, flying fast and hard towards Ichigo, nothing more than a dark shadow. When the shinigami readied to block from the front, he changed course and appeared behind him before he could sense his presence, flicking him away as if he were nothing. Relentlessly he chased him, throwing him about emotionlessly, for he had buried all feeling and lost himself in his task. Ulquiorra swung his tail about and tossed Ichigo away before he flew after him once again.

"You're a fool, Kurosaki Ichigo," he taunted, even while his voice was on edge. "You fight and think you can win against and enemy whose power strikes fear into you. It's beyond comprehension."

He tossed him into a tower with so much force that he broke through it completely and was then sent through another.

_What would you say, hollow?_ He challenged suddenly, unable to completely forget its words. _He is strong because of his heart, correct?_

When his hollow didn't answer, he directed his attention back to Ichigo. "If it's because of that 'heart' you keeping talking about, then let me tell you it's that very heart which brings you pain. And it's that very heart which brings you _death_."

But Ichigo still would not be deterred and looked him straight in the eye. "I'm not fighting because I think I can win. I'm fighting because I _have_ _to win_!"

Behind him in the distance, Ulquiorra felt two beings approaching, and, from the corner of his eye, he thought he caught that same orange glow as before.

_He will win, _his hollow whispered, serious and dark. _He will win, because he has a better reason to. He has something to fight for._

For reasons beyond his understanding, her face appeared in his mind, and when he looked into the eyes of the shinigami, he saw her upon his mind too. At his feet, the ledge was crumbling, crumbling so that he would fall into the abyss and become nothing.

Ulquiorra stubbornly recalled himself from such thoughts. "Nonsense."

From down below he heard a gasp, and he had to immediately turn towards it. Ulquiorra looked into Orihime's eyes, and she returned his gaze unblinkingly.

"So you came did you, woman?"

He held Ichigo aloft by his tail wrapped securely around his neck and he pointed a finger towards his chest.

_Do not do it, Ulquiorra,_ his hollow called suddenly, with a hint of fear lacing its dark voice.

But Ulquiorra could not be stopped now. "Just in time to witness the death of the boy you put all your hopes into."

A black cero was growing at his finger tip, a cero full of all of his despair and anguish…and even his fear.

_Crumbling, crumbling, _the hollow began chanting, its voice pounding within his head.

Her eyes were heartbreakingly sad, and he had to look away before they crippled him.

And it had been when he looked away that she ran and frantically cried, "Stop!!"

But it had been too late. The darkness was let loose, and the human before him had taken it all. His tail loosened around the shinigami's neck, and his body dropped limply away.

_The more you turn away, the more I want you to stay…_

_

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_A/N: Well, thank you once again for reading! For better or for worse, Ulquiorra has succeeded in his quest to destroy both Ichigo and Orihime's spirit. Next chapter he must face what he has done, and Orihime must face her worst nightmare.

Beta'd by an inglourious chu

--Miss Soupy


	22. Tears of an Angel

A/N: This part is so sad ;_; I know it typically makes a lot of people extremely angry at Orihime... I tend to take a more understanding stance to Orihime and give her the benefit of the doubt. I have always loved her character, so I may be biased and I freely admit it. Yeah, this song is kinda girly, but extremely relevant. Heh, sorry Ulquiorra, here is your angst. **Tears of an Angel** by **RyanDan**

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**Tears of an Angel**

She stared disbelievingly as the scene replayed in her mind over and over. The gaping hole within his chest, a hole that went clear through his body, was the proof that it had truly happened. Blood gushed from the wound while Ichigo's eyes stared emptily into space. His body was already falling, and its motion recalled her to the horrible reality. She ran towards him as a piercing noise filled her ears, even drowning out the thundering of her racing heart. Only when her powers released did she realize that the piercing noise had been her own screaming, a mindless sound of horror and heartache. Her shield caught him just in time and held him, unmoving. She couldn't move her eyes from him; everything else had disappeared.

_This is my fault._

Something dark and looming appeared before her, blocking her way, and she was forced to pause and look up. Her eyes held betrayal as she regarded Ulquiorra.

"Forget it. His life is already out of your hands," he told her, his voice dark, eerily so, while haunted eyes bored into her own.

That moment seemed to stretch out for eternity. But something was wrong. He did not feel victorious as he was supposed to, but instead he was left with a strange uncomfortable feeling. It was somehow worse than the emptiness he usually felt, the type he had always lived with. This was…deeper, somehow, more painful, as if the pain shining within her innocent eyes had been transmitted to him as well.

_What is this?_

Her scream had pierced him too. It had been an awful sound to his ears, and he never wished to hear it again.

Had he been wrong?

His hollow was silent, and Ulquiorra felt alone in his turmoil. There was no one to answer him, no one to tell him, and he was left plagued with his questions.

_What have I done?_

Seeing his friend in danger, the Quincy had come to her aid and attacked. Ulquiorra easily flicked the pesky arrows away with a wing. But, during his momentary distraction, Orihime was able to run past, and he watched her go briefly before turning an angry look towards the interfering Quincy.

The arrow-wielding human attacked without delay, and Ulquiorra was surrounded by arrows. He was left unharmed, but it was not an annoyance he could easily forget.

"Odd…among Kurosaki Ichigo's little friends, I had figured you were the most calm."

"I am calm," the Quincy replied, his face grim, "That's why I can fight you!"

Ulquiorra raised his head as he heard her voice in the distance, calling the name of the fallen shinigami. He could hear the tears in her voice, and the sound crippled him.

He had made a mistake, and now he felt lost because of it. He had broken the sun, and now his world felt so…empty. When had she become important to him? When had she invaded his realm? He had pushed her, as had been his intention, but she had finally broken into pieces and all he had placed upon her had shattered with her heart.

She fell to her knees, the impact resounding around them. Orihime felt lost, and she held her head as if to hold herself together somehow.

_What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?_

It repeated in her head, a mantra of confusion and fear and agony. The tears leaked down her face, across her bruised cheeks, staining her dress. When Ishida went flying nearby, she looked up and saw blood pouring.

"Ishida-kun…" her voice, an alien sound, managed to squeak out.

He told her not to worry, to take care of Ichigo, and got up to face the stalking creature before him. But she knew not what else she could do. Her healing was agonizingly slow, his wound fatally deep, and she didn't know if she could heal it at all. And, what was more, healing Ichigo didn't stop the threat but would instead only awaken him to more pain. She had to have been wrong about everything, about Ulquiorra and his quest for the heart. Surely this _brutal destruction_ was evidence that he cared not for any of it.

There was nothing she could do…

And soon Ishida too would appear before her, nothing more than a corpse and then…and then she would truly be alone. Her heart would be destroyed along with her friends, and she would be an empty shell.

He got up and ran at the unstoppable espada, and she screamed his name, hoping he would stop. Ishida didn't stop however, and Ulquiorra seemed to look straight at her as he easily slashed at the Quincy and tossed him aside too.

She didn't know what to do, and without realizing it she found herself asking Ichigo. He had always been the one they could depend on, and she had always seen him as strength incarnate, something undefeatable. He had always told her not to worry, to believe in him, and now…her hopes had fallen and crashed so hard.

Orihime called out her powers and formed a shield, a weak defense, but the only one she could muster in the situation. Ulquiorra easily broke through with the tip of his tail and continued his advance.

He watched her, the inner turmoil she was experiencing clear upon her face. Ulquiorra was unsure of what he would do when he reached her, but still he moved closer, drawn to her. Now she seemed a mirror image of himself; tears streaming down her face out of her haunted eyes, possessing a hole where her heart should be. He had wanted to bring her closer to himself all along, wanted to pull her down so that he might understand her. So that she could share his pain. But he had not wanted to harm her at the same time, and what he had done was far worse than any physical harm he could have caused. For now the sun had truly set, and only darkness remained.

The never ending darkness, he knew now, was what he truly feared.

She cowered in fear as he approached, and it hurt him to see her do so. Never before had she shied away from him, but had always stood up bravely before him.

"Save us Kurosaki-kun!" she cried out desperately, her eyes squeezed shut causing the tears to leak out the corners. Now her despair even matched his own, and he stilled upon realizing it.

Nothing good came out of such desperation. Darkness bred more darkness, and as he had done to her, now she would pass it on. It was apparent, seconds later, who would receive it next, who the darkness would possess, and a new monster was born.

_The sun cannot fall from the sky_

_

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_A/N: At some point I tend to explain my reasoning behind Ulquiorra's 'hollow'. After a conversation I had with my dear beta, I realized it is probably really confusing that I refer to him as hollow, when...well he sorta is and sorta isn't. Anyways, I think I'll wait till more of the story is revealed before I do so.

I hope you review, and thanks again to all of you that do! Next chapter...things aren't looking good for Ulquiorra ;_;

Beta'd by a peniche chu

--Miss Soupy


	23. Broken Wings

A/N: Um, well, I don't think there is much surprise with what happens in this chapter... Kubo really tore Ulquiorra down, and I was forced to do the same *sniff* But, I consider last chapter the major turning point towards Ulquiorra's dramatic but sweet 'end' so this chapter deals with more of his acceptance. By now, there are things he fully accepts. So this song is about falling; falling but seeing hope at the end of everything.** Broken Wings** by** Alter Bridge**

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**Broken Wings**

Something was wrong. There. A movement somewhere near. Orihime was turning her head, and Ulquiorra watched closely, following her gaze as well; something was different within the healing shield. Suddenly, the shield cracked, and _something_ was standing up, something dark, looming, and monstrous. Orihime looked up and up and up, past the red, furry material around its ankles and wrists, past its chest with strange markings, past its hollow hole, past its long, orange hair to finally rest on a fearsome mask with vacant eyes and dangerous horns.

Her lips parted with a strangled, "Uh?"

Ulquiorra had, before her, realized who it was; it really could only be one person.

"Impossible," he muttered warily, his face showing his disbelief. "You shouldn't be alive." When the creature didn't answer, he asked again, this time more unsure than before. "What is that appearance? Just _who_ are you?"

The creature remained silent but opened its palm, summoning its zanpakutou, which flew into its open hand. With a swift swing downward, it kicked up the wind, sending the two humans flying as it obliterated a nearby boulder.

Seeing Orihime caught deftly by the Quincy, Ulquiorra turned to focus upon the creature before him. "Are you listening to me?" he questioned, his voice hard and laced with anger, "I'm asking who the hell you are."

The only reply he received was a blood curdling roar, one that caused a shiver to run down his spine.

"It seems…words will not get through to you." Ulquiorra hesitated a moment. He did not like surprises; he always prepared himself for any battle, making sure he knew enough about his opponent to ensure a quick victory. But he knew nothing of this one, for it was clear that, whatever it was, it was not exactly the shinigami he had been fighting.

Deciding that he would first test the waters before approaching the being, he pointed his finger, and a cero grew, thick and black. The creature across from him lowered its head and, between its horns, a white ball of reiatsu formed. Ulquiorra watched, stunned, as he realized it was a white cero, and when he released his own, it was met and deflected by the other.

The force of the blast propelled Ulquiorra into the air. He used his wings to protect himself from most of the attack, and his defense had been in the nick of time. The attack could have seriously damaged him; any more attacks at that level, and he would surely be killed.

_It shouldn't be possible,_ he thought, astonished, _no matter how much he looks like a hollow, a human firing off a cero is just…_

He was unable to finish his thought before he sensed a huge presence behind him. It grabbed his arm with a force he could not match, and before Ulquiorra could even react his limb was completely ripped off. Pain seared through what remained of his arm, and the creature shrieked, victorious.

Orihime watched, horrified, her body trembling as she kneeled near Ishida.

"No way," she murmured in disbelief, shock showing on her face. "That can't…is that really…Kurosaki-kun?"

But it couldn't be! He was a kind person, not…not a monster, which this thing before her most definitely was. It had just ripped Ulquiorra's arm off as if…as if it was nothing more than an animal.

_What have I done?_

She had called to him, and he had answered her…but this…this wasn't what she wanted! There was nothing in those eyes, only empty sockets within a mask. She had awoken something that was not Kurosaki-kun at all, but somehow inhabited his body, posing as him. Orihime remembered back to when she had felt this power from him before, and had feared it. Whatever it had been was back now, and stronger - _much_ stronger.

His breaths were heavier now due to pain, and he sent a dark look towards his opponent.

_I could not keep up, he has gotten much faster._

Glancing sharply at his lame arm, Ulquiorra forced reiatsu to the limb and watched as it quickly reformed, flawless in appearance and fucntion. Flexing his hand experimentally, he began speaking slowly, hoping to buy himself some time before he made his next move.

"My powers lie not in attack, but in regeneration. Of all the arrancar who chose high-speed regeneration over power, I alone can fully regenerate anything but my brain and organs."

Startled by this admittance, Orihime looked up with wide eyes. Ulquiorra had chosen the ability to heal. Had he noticed a likened mind in her, for her own abilities? Was that why he had been interested in her powers to begin with?

_If speed is not an option…I have no choice but to attack. If this fails me then…_

He didn't finish the thought and instead went on speaking, "I have no idea how or why you have assumed that form, but no matter how powerful your attacks become, reducing me to a critical state just by plucking off an arm is simply impossible."

Ulquiorra knew his words were brave and withholding much of the truth, but the creature was still silent, so Ulquiorra readied his attack. Cupping his hands together, he formed a ball of light and then extended his arms outward, drawing its long form. The lance burned with a cold, white light, and he muttered its name, "Lanza del Relampago."

Grasping the weapon around the middle, Ulquiorra surveyed his surroundings with a critical eye. The creature was at a far enough distance, but if he were to come any closer, the attack could potentially destroy the whole area. Briefly he glanced at the woman.

_This is all I have left…_

His eyes saddened and he was forced to look away.

"Don't come any closer," he commanded, preparing himself. "Just stay where you are. If possible, I don't want this going off anywhere near me."

In one fluid motion he threw the weapon, and far in the distance there was an explosion causing a wave of wind to pass through the area.

_Hm, I suppose this serves as a reminder as to why I don't use this attack very often_, he thought dryly. Still his hollow was silent, unnervingly so.

"I missed huh…that thing is tricky afterall…"

Ulquiorra opened his palm and quickly created a new lance. Before he could use it however, his opponent had moved, appearing next to him before Ulquiorra even noticed his absence.

And the most shocking fact of all: it had used sonido.

A black object was tossed in Ulquiorra's direction, and his eyes widened as he saw that it was his own arm. Without hesitating he incinerated it with his lance.

"You thought that would scare me? Don't underestimate me."

_How did that shinigami become nothing more than a cruel, bestial hollow?_ He wondered, realizing he could no longer deny the truth of his form.

He aimed his lance at the hollow, but it stopped it with nothing more than a hand, crushing it into nothing.

_Impossible…bare handed…_

In that moment, Ulquiorra knew he had lost, and as he looked upon the masked creature, he saw his doom within empty eyes and a grim smile of bone. The blade cut through is body as if he was butter and he fell to the cold ground.

She stared, wide-eyed, as blood rained down, and the espada fell. This wasn't winning. This was…complete annihilation, bloody and heartless. This was not how Ichigo won.

"Damn it," he wheezed, warm blood pooling around him. "To think I'd be beaten by a human turned hollow…how ironic."

His vital organs were still intact, but there was no worth in healing the damages now. Not when he could not win. He had lost, hopelessly so, and now there was nothing left. A crushing weight pushed down against his skull, and Ulquiorra looked sideways to see the hollow looming over him, preparing a cero. He could have laughed then, the way he had completely changed.

"I see…no mercy then?" he said dully, the irony too deep for his liking. "Very well. If I have been beaten, my existence no longer holds meaning."

_I have lost any rights to her._

"Do it."

Death would be his only escape now. He could not go on living as he was, not that empty existence that had no end. Ulquiorra had glimpsed something better and had lost it because of his own foolish pride. It was too late now and he was filled with regret because of it.

The cero hit him, and his body ignited in fiery pain.

He would never be able to tell her he regretted breaking her as he had. Never would she know he thought her strong. Ulquiorra closed his eyes against the regrets and pain and saw a blood red half-moon behind his eyelids.

_You did not belong in this place, woman. It is better for you to leave it behind and return to your home. Leave the beasts to dwell in their cold world as they deserve to._

The moon was falling, piece by piece, leaving nothing but darkness, a crippling darkness that he truly feared.

_How unfortunate,_ he thought in annoyance. He was unused to regret, and it was such a crushing feeling.

_I regret being unable to further discuss the heart with you, _he admitted at last, finally letting his pride fall away as he surrendered himself to the growing darkness.

Inwardly she was screaming, her face contorted in complete disbelief as she saw Ichigo fire a cero point-blank at the fallen espada. Ishida was already forcing her closer to the ground protectively, even while his face matched her own horrified one. Swiftly she called forth her shield, but it felt like so little compared to the damage being done somewhere at the center of that bright light.

_Please…_

When the dust cleared and the two were revealed, her heart burned in pain at what they saw. All that was left of Ulquiorra was his upper body and head, one wing, and one arm. She watched as he was tossed aside like garbage and thought, _I must be dreaming…how can this be real!?_

Ichigo brought down his sword and stilled it over Ulquiorra's throat.

_He doesn't deserve this! _Her heart and mind screamed, but she could not find her voice to stop it. _He just doesn't understand us!_

_He doesn't know…_

There were voices nearby, but he could not focus on them. Someone screamed, and vaguely he recognized the voice, like some far away memory that he had to concentrate on to remember.

_That is…_

A bright flash appeared behind his eyes and he felt as if he had suddenly awoken from some deep dark space.

_What is this?_

In the distance there was a light, one that was orange and filled him with an alien warmth. The light was growing against the dark horizon, filling his vision as its rays washed over him, making him feel weightless and yet filling him at the same time. It rushed into his empty spaces, easing him of his usual hollow feeling and leaving him feeling odd in his own skin.

_Ulquiorra, get up,_ something called to him from deep within, and for a moment he didn't recognize it.

_Hollow? …I thought you had left._

_It was you who left, _it replied, though it still sounded distant for some reason. _You are not done here._

_I am dying_, was his response, for it was true. He knew he could not last much longer in this broken body.

_Even so, _came the distant reply.

He had been about to speak again when he heard her.

"Stop Kurosaki-kun!"

Ulquiorra's eyes shot open at the sound of her desperate and fearful shout. Memories flashed across his mind, as if his eye had malfunctioned and was replaying his recent history. She was stunned, she was determined, she was in pain, she was smiling, she was curious, she was crying, she was horrified, she was…frightened. Every emotion she had displayed had been carefully recorded, and it was her face that he saw now, burning as brightly as the sun in his mind.

_I am not done here._

"Kurosaki-kun!"

He regenerated enough of himself to propel his body into the air, a lance already formed in his hand. And as if he were possessed, he sonido'd behind the shinigami turned hollow and neatly sliced through one of his horns, all the while feeling her gaze upon him. Her gaze, even this surprised one, was warmth incarnate and he immediately wished for more. There was no time however, as an explosion occurred from the back-fired cero, and he was blown away from the blast.

_Save the fading light within our souls…_

_

* * *

_A/N: In case you are wondering, it is significant that Ulquiorra's 'hollow' was silent until just then.. I really like how Ulquiorra woke right when Orihime was calling for Ichigo to stop. I would image she would sound frightened, which I think is why he rose again. Anyways, I hope you liked it and will review! Next chapter is...the big moment...

Beta'd by a gathering chu

--Miss Soupy


	24. Run

A/N: It was hard to find a song that could fit this part, nothing really seemed to match up perfectly. In the end, I chose **Run** by **Snow Patrol**. I liked this one because it is a sad good-bye song. It also emphasizes that Orihime is the light in Ulquiorra's dark life, which is a theme I am playing with even more. It also shows reluctance to say good-bye, even though you know deep down that you have to.

* * *

**Run**

She crossed her arms in front of her face, shielding herself from the flying debris.

_Did that really happen?_ she wondered, her eyes squeezed shut against the light and wind. _Did Ulquiorra just…save us?_

After things seemed to calm and she dared to look, Orihime saw Ichigo standing perfectly still. The still moment was shattered as his mask fell away, revealing the face of the boy she knew so well.

Timidly, she whispered his name, unsure if she could trust that it was him just yet. Slowly, his towering figure fell, crumbling to the ground where he lay unmoving. Without thinking, she ran towards him, still fearful, though this time she was certain it was truly him.

Ulquiorra watched her silently, his face softening as he heard the worry in her voice. The shinigami was not moving, and Ulquiorra thought for sure he was dead this time.

_She will never forgive me for what I have done…_

Honestly, he did not believe he deserved forgiveness. The shinigami was annoying, but he was also innocent and had not deserved death. And she had been loyal to her bond from the start to the end. Truly it was something, the strong connection she had established with those humans. Even if one became a monster, she did not stop caring or worrying, and now she was beside him once more.

Could it be that she would do the same for him, even knowing what he was deep down? Ulquiorra's breath caught at the thought, for he realized yes, she would. That was the type of person she was.

Orihime kneeled before the fallen warrior, guilt weighing heavily upon her shoulders, seeing him as he was. She could not blame Ulquiorra; he was only removing a threat. What Ichigo had become was her own fault, and for what had happened to him after that, she could only blame herself.

He did not like her tears, he decided then, for their presence made his tear marks burn. A feeling over came him, one that he didn't quite recognize. All he knew was that he wished to eliminate whatever source caused her to cry like she did.

_I would need to remove myself._

Ulquiorra looked away. He would soon be gone anyway, so it did not matter. His body tried to regenerate itself, but was failing. Too much had been damaged. But he appeared to have stilled his death for the moment, for the sudden adrenaline surge seemed to be allowing him these extra minutes.

A sudden release of power caught his attention, and he turned to see the shinigami was once again changing. There was a wave of reiatsu that drew away from his body, collected in the air above him, and then re-entered the boy, sealing the hole as if it had never been there in the first place.

"High speed regeneration…?" he questioned disbelievingly, though he could think of no other conclusion. The boy was rising up, completely unharmed once again.

Another moment later, the shinigami had opened his eyes and sat up. "I…I had a hole in my chest," he spoke, his voice stunned and distant sounding as if he were grasping for memories he didn't understand.

Orihime murmured his name and he looked at her worriedly, "Are you ok, Inoue?"

She couldn't answer because she really wasn't sure. Everything was happening so quickly, and it was bewildering how he had changed and was suddenly fine. But she did manage a shaky smile.

Panic fell across Ichigo's face as he looked for Ishida and found him as he had left him, a sword through his gut.

"Ishida…"

He was mortified as he examined his handiwork, but Ishida gave him a sarcastic look and said, "Finally woken up, have you?"

Ulquiorra watched them from afar. When he felt his time becoming desperately short, he called, "Persistent, aren't you."

Everyone looked in his direction. Without warning, he moved, sonido'ing to the Quincy and forcefully pulling the zanpakutou out of his stomach. He threw the blade down at the shinigami's feet and said, "Take it. We're putting and end to this."

She was looking at him, but he could not look at her. If he did…he might _hope_.

"The one who did that to Ishida…was that me?" the shinigami asked, his voice distant.

Ulquiorra had no time for his guilt and he replied coldly, "Does it matter?"

Still, Ichigo persisted, his face tensed desperately, "The one who cut off your arm and leg, was that me too?!"

He was silent, his eyes trained on the shinigami. _He cannot remember it?_

"If it was then cut off my limbs as well!"

All of them looked at the shinigami, shocked at his declaration.

"What you were fighting was a mindless hollow. It wasn't me. If we're going to end this once and for all, then we're going to do it as equals!"

Ulquiorra could barely force air into his lungs now; his breathing came in pants, and his mind was beginning to feel fuzzy.

_Always has to be so noble…how annoying he is. He cannot even grant me the death that I desire?_

"Fine," he relented, "If that's what you want, then so be it."

With the last of his strength, he tried to force himself to regenerate what he could. The effort proved to be too much as he reached down and found nothing. His wing began disintegrating into dust, slowly dissolving away.

"Tch…so this is it." He proclaimed, defeated and resigned. There was nothing more that could be done. "Kill me."

She watched, wide eyed as his command. _He just…wants to die?_

"Hurry…I don't even have the strength left to walk. If you don't kill me now, the conflict between us will never be resolved."

Still Ichigo refused, all the while his face strangely held a look of pain.

More and more of his body was falling away, turned into ash. Never before had he felt so weak. His voice was quiet and lined with sadness as he finally gave up, "Right to the end, you never do as I wish."

Slowly, his eyes turned to her, his sclera returning to normal white and his eyes to deep green. Her hand was clenched into a fist, as if she was trying to discern what she should do. As if she wanted to help, but was unsure if she could or should.

"In the end…I think I actually had some interest in you people…" he admitted, his voice soft as he spoke, mostly for her. Orihime realized immediately what he meant.

_He did want to know…after all…and now…now…_

Her eyes were saddening, and he recognized that she was trying not to cry. He had now seen it enough times to tell.

_I am sorry_, he wanted to say, but instead his hand moved towards her, desperately.

His voice was gentle, more so than it had ever been, when he asked, "…Are you afraid of me, woman?"

He had to know.

Suddenly, a look came across her face, a look that he recognized. It was the same look she had given him when she had spoken of her friends, when she had bravely said she wasn't scared of dying. Her lips parted and he knew her words before she said them.

"I'm not afraid."

The tears welled in her eyes but she did not look away. There was so much emotion in her eyes, and he wanted to ask her of it, wanted to know what it all meant, but couldn't. She could not be scared of the shinigami, because she had a bond with him. At the same time, she could not be scared of him because…because…

"Really…"

He reached, reached across spaces he never would have wanted to cross, across spaces he wasn't even sure he could if he had tried. Meanwhile, his body was returning to his unreleased state on its own.

_I am becoming more human?_

This thought didn't anger him now, but instead intrigued him. Only becoming more human had he understood her. Only becoming more human had he _reached_ her. She looked like she was glowing as her hand moved towards his, and he thought he understood what inner beauty looked like. Light radiated off of her, extending out from her hand towards his shadowy form, and even before touching his hand began to warm. That moment, where their hands stretched out towards one another, became frozen in time. It was an ageless moment, timeless, and so full of hope and purity. Ulquiorra knew what was happening to him, but for that instant, all he knew was her, and it was then that he realized what he had found.

It was not within a skull, it was not within a chest. What he searched for was everywhere and nowhere at once. He could not find it because he did not accept it for himself before now. But now that he had, it was…

_I understand._

Time moved forward once again, relentlessly, and his body continued crumbling away. He was never able to touch her; his hand fell away as her fingers tried to grasp it, and yet she reached after him desperately. But now he knew.

_So this is…_

He had decided to ask for her heart, and she had accepted his request to have it.

_What her out-stretched hand embodies…_

Ulquiorra couldn't see anymore, but an orange glow remained in his minds-eye.

_Heart?_

And then he was thrown from one world into another; a world where the moonlight was falling like rain, and the earth was quaking. It was a dying world, one that was entirely his to control. Ulquiorra stood upon a desert plain under the dripping moon and faced the only other inhabitant.

"It is over, Murcielago." Even though he said it, he felt contented, warmed inside, somehow. He had found that for which he had searched, and now there was nothing left to do.

The spirit smiled, its fangs shockingly white against the dark shadowy form of its body. "No, it is just the beginning. Haven't you been listening?"

His eyes narrowed distrustingly, but before he could reply, the shadow shifted, and Ulquiorra realized that someone else was present. Green eyes widened in disbelief.

"You are…"

Murcielago was converging into himself, forming into a black blade that was a dark replica of his own. But what was even more troubling was that the wielder standing before him was dressed in black.

Over the newcomer's shoulders, the sun was rising.

_You've been the only thing that's right, in all I've done_

_

* * *

_A/N: Eeeek, another cliffie... At the very least, I didn't end things with Ulquiorra floating away as nothing. (that would be horrible, I know) I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please tell me what you think! Next chapter...will be about Orihime.

Beta'd by a chootie chu

--Miss Soupy


	25. She is the Sunlight

A/N: So this chapter I wrote before the recent manga chapters and I decided to keep it as was rather than changing it. We are getting close to the end...which means I better get going on finishing the last chapter... *sweat* Anyways, I couldn't keep **She is the Sunlight** by **Trading Yesterday** out of the fic, it is such a perfect UlquiHime song. I didn't really have a perfect place to put it, but I like it with this chapter anyways. It's a chapter about Orihime with a song of what Ulquiorra might think of her, heh. Thanks to the UlquiHime FC at BA for this song rec.

* * *

**She is the sunlight**

Her arm remained suspended, needlessly, for there was no one there to reach. His hand had been right there, but now was… gone. He had unraveled from the top down, and her hand had gone through his because it had been unable to maintain its form.

A tear leaked down her cheek, and then another, and yet another followed.

"N-no…"

Her fingers brushed against each other, and she felt a rough substance on them. When she brought her hand up to look, she saw tiny pieces of ash clinging to her skin.

_No…he…he…_

She called to her shield, and it surrounded the spot where he had just stood a moment ago. The spot that was now marked by a pile of black ash.

"Inoue…" a voice called softly from nearby, and Orihime swung her head around to see Ichigo standing by her. His eyes were sad and wouldn't quite meet hers. Looking past him, she saw Ishida there too.

"Ah," she gasped upon seeing him, and stretched her shield so that he was encompassed under it as well. "I'm sorry Ishida-kun, let me heal you."

The Quincy looked relieved as he was surrounded by the glowing shield. Within seconds, his hand had begun piecing itself back together, and the wound in his stomach began shrinking.

Marveled by how quickly he was being healed Ishida commented kindly, "It looks like your abilities are stronger now, Inoue-san."

She wanted to smile, she really did, but her mouth wouldn't work the way she wished.

"It might not be enough," she murmured, mostly to herself as she turned away, the part of her shield that had finished healing Ishida retracted to focus on the point in front of her.

Ichigo turned to the now healed Quincy and said awkwardly, "Ah, Ishida, sorry about what happened…"

Ishida, who had been flexing his newly healed hand, looked up at Ichigo, somewhat startled but understanding. "Just don't do it again, Kurosaki." This seemed to cheer the shinigami up a bit for he managed a smile, but then they looked back to where Orihime was kneeling in front of her shield and their smiles both faltered. "We need to get Inoue-san out of here."

Ichigo's mouth drew in a worried line and he replied, "Yeah, but we're all stuck, aren't we?"

"If we meet back with the captains, we might be able to devise a way out of here. Surely we can figure something out," Ishida said, looking thoughtful. "At the very least, we shouldn't stay in this place. I'm worried about Inoue-san's mental state…she has been through a lot."

At that moment, Orihime swung her head around and looked suddenly fearful. "I-I can't leave," she said, her voice strained, "I have to keep trying! Please, let me stay…"

His eyes saddened seeing her as she was, and he said, "Inoue-san, is there really anything you can do? And, even more importantly, should you even be trying?"

Orihime looked down at the floor. "He…he was the one who brought me here and watched me. He was cold, and it made me sad sometimes, but," she looked up and suddenly her eyes were unwavering and honest, "But, he never hurt me, and…he talked to me. I…I think he was really…lost."

She looked to Ichigo then, because if anyone would understand, it would be him. He was someone who balanced precariously between shinigami and hollow, and now she knew just how close to being hollow he could come. Ichigo looked back, and thankfully didn't argue with her, even though she could tell Ishida was skeptical.

Before the Quincy could reply however, there was a huge release of power somewhere below them, and they all cringed at the feeling.

"What the hell," Ichigo shouted, "Isn't that…"

Pushing up his glasses, Ishida agreed, "Yeah, it seems like that huge espada found someone else to bother."

He looked at Orihime then, and she _knew_. She knew he would tell her they had to leave. Orihime couldn't have it.

"You two go on ahead, I'll catch up later." Ishida opened his mouth and she went on, "Like you said, we can't get out of Las Noches right now. Ul-," she paused, his name sending a pang through her heart and she had to swallow before trying again, "Ulquiorra was in charge here, and he was defeated, so…I don't think there is much harm…"

Ishida's lips went thin; he didn't like the thought of leaving her, she knew. They had come to save her, and turning away from her now seemed counter productive. "Even if that's true, if you actually are able to bring him back…"

"Ah," Ichigo interjected, looking thoughtfully at the pile of ash surrounded by the healing shield. "That guy isn't the type to cause problems after he was defeated." Then, his eyes met Orihime's and he said, "Right, Inoue?"

She smiled then, grateful for his trust. It was a wonderful feeling, one she wished to continue to receive from her nakama, and set within her a realization of what she could attain if she would only believe in her own voice.

Ishida, feeling left with no other choice, sighed in defeat. "Alright…catch up as soon as you can Inoue-san."

Her smile didn't falter. "Yes, I promise I will! Thank you."

She watched the two run off, her heart feeling a little lighter. _This…this is how I want to be. _

The ability to stand up for her friends and herself had always been something she desired, and even when she wished for it the hardest, it had eluded her. It had been far too easy for her to step down in the face of a friend she considered stronger than her, especially Ichigo. She had always wanted to be strong for him the most, and yet she had never shown him strength.

Orihime watched the warm glow of her shield. _I may not be the best at fighting, but what I can do is protect, and that is also strength._

Her eyes fell on the barely shifting ash beneath her shield. _You…thought I was strong, didn't you?_

She recalled the look he had given her before crumbling away. It was one of quiet trust. Somehow Ulquiorra had seen strength within her and believed in it, when even she did not even in herself.

_My will is also to help those in need, even if they are my enemy._

It was part of her personality to worry about _everyone_. Up until now, she had been worried about her ability to feel sorry for her enemies. But she remembered Tatsuki's words to her, that she should not change who she was. Taking that advice, Orihime came to the conclusion that being kind was not weakness. Her weakness was her inaction, caused by her disbelief in herself. Now, she was filled with new vision. If it was possible for her to help, she would do it. She couldn't allow there to be another Ulquiorra. The situation had slipped out of her fingers so quickly that she hadn't been able to help him or realize his need in time. But next time…she would be more careful. For now, she needed to repair the damage she had done.

Orihime closed her eyes, suddenly aware of every particle of ash that clung to her skin, and she focused all power and thought upon reaching the soul she had just now come to truly understand.

_I will help you Ulquiorra._

_She is the healing, and I am the pain_

_

* * *

_A/N: So, like I said, not much further to go! I hope you liked this chapter...it represents what I hope Orihime will learn from her experience, as well as return to her a much needed increase in resolve and for her to realize her true strengths. Oh, I loved all the theories everybody had about the mysterious newcomer Ulquiorra met. Next chapter we will return to Ulquiorra and we will find out exactly who it is...

Beta'd by an extravagant chu

--Miss Soupy


	26. New Divide

A/N: Writing this chapter was pretty fun, maybe because I actually got to write a fight scene that I made up (even if it was short!). This chapters song (**New Divide** by **Linkin Park**) was very influential to the scene as well, especially since it reminded me of what a dying world might look like. It also might be kind of confusing, I realize...but I swear it makes sense in my head! Heh. If you are confused at all, just think of it like what Ichigo goes through, but backwards. Sorta.

* * *

**New Divide**

He moved his hand slowly until his slender fingers gripped the hilt of his sword, but he did not draw it yet. Green eyes watched the figure warily, confused about just what it was he saw.

"Who are you?" he voiced between the gap while he outwardly appeared as unconcerned as he could.

The stranger, who mirrored him in appearance, opened his mouth to reply with a voice that was also his, "Can you not tell?"

Ulquiorra's grip tightened. The reply was eerily close to what he would have said himself. It seemed this newcomer spoke in riddles, just as he did.

"You carry my appearance and yet you are dressed as a shinigami," he observed, looking the other over carefully while also keeping close attention to the hand holding the black zanpakutou. "And you hold your weapon as if you are ready to attack."

"Yes," the other agreed, looking at his sword as well, "I am able to wield Murcielago as well."

Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed dangerously. "And why would you wish to do so?"

Their eyes locked once again, and Ulquiorra saw the others eyes widen slightly, as if possessed with motive. "To defeat you, Ulquiorra."

If he had not seen the attack in his eyes, Ulquiorra wasn't sure he would have been able to block it with his sword. Light flashed between them when their blades met, and as if to mirror that, lighting cracked in the dark sky above. His movements were precise, an exact copy of his own style, and Ulquiorra couldn't shake the coldness creeping up his spine as the other struck again and again.

Springing away, Ulquiorra pointed a finger and called, "This is my world." A cero erupted at the point, moving straight towards his opponent at incredible speed.

"I will not allow you to carry on as you were," the other replied, his hand easily redirecting the cero to the side. He burst up the path the cero had just gone, and his sword swung in a downwards arc, which Ulquiorra blocked.

Their swords clanged against each other, evenly matched as they continued to fight.

"Murcielago is mine." Ulquiorra sonidoed behind his replica, and quickly thrust out his sword against him. In a move that was faster than light, his opponent swung upwards, knocking the sword away from its path and then pushed back against him, causing him to drop one knee. Quickly, he fired a cero, which the replica was forced to block; Ulquiorra used the precious time to gain more distance between himself and his opponent.

His opponent appeared before him, standing, while Ulquiorra kneeled upon one knee. The black sword pointed towards him, but it did not move to strike. "Admit defeat, Ulquiorra."

It was true, he had been defeated it seemed, and yet he would not admit to it. Angry green eyes looked up at the figure in black and he said coldly, "Why would it even matter? I am dying. Taking control of a dying world is pointless."

It was then that the replica did something strange. His eyes suddenly looked warmer, as if he were amused by something, though his voice was still steady. "I do not fear death. I also do not fear fighting against it."

Ulquiorra stared. "It is only natural to fear death, as well as accept it."

"It is natural for you, hollow. But I do not have to. I reject it."

His lips thinned and he looked to the sunrise. "Reject?"

The replica followed his gaze, turning his head to look behind him at the orange glow. "I wish to live."

In that moment of distraction, Ulquiorra acted; he stood and quickly extended his sword until it rested at the replica's neck.

"Fool," Ulquiorra told him as he looked back, victory clear in his voice. "You have lost."

To his surprise, the other smirked in a way that wasn't quite himself. "No. I have accomplished my goal."

Feeling his frustration spike, he pressed the blade closer to his throat and commanded, "Explain yourself."

The black blade at his side quivered a moment before erupting out of form as Murcielago rose up into the air on its black, wispy wings. It hung suspended before the moon at Ulquiorra's right side, its yellow eyes watching.

"It was never my goal to kill you, Ulquiorra, merely defeat your mindset. Truthfully, there is nothing for me in this dying world, you were correct on that sentiment. I have no power to raise this body from the dead." The Ulquiorra in black shifted his hands into his pockets as he watched Murcielago float in the air. "You, on the other hand, may have that power, for it is by accepting the hollow part of yourself that you can unlock new abilities. My purpose was merely to make you choose to do so."

Ulquiorra remained silent as he listened to the replica speak, trying to understand what he had done.

"What you lack, hollow, is a true reason to live. It was my goal to force you to strive for survival. One thing you learned from those humans was to stand back up, and here you did."

"How do you know it was not by instinct that I fought back?" Ulquiorra asked, his voice questioning as he finally lowered his sword.

The replica held a look of slight amusement once again as he explained, "Because you had previously stated your acceptance of death. I think you would agree it is pointless to fight back within a dying world, and yet you did. You did not want me to destroy you."

Ulquiorra looked away, his eyes catching the glow of the sun and he sighed deeply. "Is that so..."

"You know you have something worth living for."

The replica suddenly did not look as clear as it once did, as if the sun was burning it away, the edges were fading, crumbling, blowing away like ash.

"But," it warned, its final words strong even while it slowly disappeared, "If you should forget your will, I will come back and try to claim this place." It looked up suddenly, as if it heard something he could not, and said "Even now she tries to reach you…what a strong woman."

And then it was gone.

With a flap of its wings, Murcielago landed next to him, digging his claws into the sand beneath as it looked towards the horizon.

"There is a lot of work to do, I wonder if you will survive," the spirit said darkly, its fanged teeth rising in a wicked grin.

Ignoring the pessimistic spirit, Ulquiorra sheathed his sword. "What did he mean, 'even now she tries to reach you'?"

The spirit closed its eyes a moment and shuddered as if it had just completed a difficult task. Ulquiorra observed, curious, and when he saw the spirit open its eyes, he watched as it pointed to the horizon.

_And your voice was all I heard, that I get what I deserve_

_

* * *

_A/N: Oops, it's another cliffhanger! I have to say I really enjoy everyone's theories and insights to what is happening though, so keep them coming. :) Next chapter...well it's a surprise, hehe.

Beta'd by a kingly chu

--Miss Soupy


	27. Last Beat of My Heart

A/N: This song, **Last Beat of My Heart** by **DeVotchKa**, has to be one of my absolute favorite UlquiHime songs. Actually, I would say it ties for first with "She is the Sunlight". (So I highly encourage you to look it up, or go to my livejournal post for this chapter and listen to it) It was recc'd in the UlquiHime playlist at BA, and it caught my interest right away. I really love how the instrumentals seem quite light-hearted compared to the very deep lyrics. It sort of makes me think of hope and a love that can go beyond whatever restraints bind it. I suppose it just seems incredibly romantic to me and I think it really adds a lot to this chapter.

* * *

**Last Beat of my Heart**

She was standing upon white sands. It was dark, and barren, and the only light they possessed was that of an incomplete moon hanging in the night sky. But there was something horribly wrong with the scene; the night sky seemed to be cracking, the moon was falling apart and bleeding into the velvety sky, and the sands shifted restlessly in the distance. As she stood, however, she felt a comforting warmth at her back, but before she could wonder at it, she noticed figures in the distance. One was a dark body looking to be nothing more than a shadow, like a black vapor that shifted endlessly and, yet, seemed to hold visible form. Her eyes moved next to the figure in white, and she gasped as she recognized his features.

"Ulquiorra…"

He didn't move, but his eyes, too, were wide in disbelief at the sight of her standing there upon his sand, in his world.

"Woman…?"

At his voice, she took one step, and then another, her heart beating frantically within her but feeling so far away at the same time. "You…you're alright?" The words didn't feel right in her own mouth. She had seen him dissolve into nothing with her own eyes…

Still Ulquiorra did not move; certainly reality had slipped from him, and this was merely a dream. How else could such a thing be possible? Murcielago looked up at him, his neck cocked to the side and his claws clicking impatiently.

"No reason to be shy now, Ulquiorra. You are quite sane." The spirit produced a dark wing and pushed Ulquiorra forward. "You don't have time to be indecisive."

Ulquiorra gave the spirit a cold glance but moved forward on his own, assured that this was, at least, some form of reality.

"You should not be here, woman," he told her finally as he approached, though his voice was not as cold as it usually was. "This is my inner world, and it is all that is left of my broken soul."

Her eyes saddened and she looked briefly at Murcielago, who stood away from them. "You mean, you really are gone?"

"Correct."

A tremor rippled across the desert, and Orihime had to fight to catch her balance. "What's going on? This seems…" she looked up at the sky where the moon's light seemed to be blending into the night sky as if they were no more than watercolors on a canvas. "This place seems like it's falling apart…"

"It is."

Her face suddenly held a horrified look as she returned her gaze to his face. "No! I am going to save you, Ulquiorra! I was trying to right before…" she trailed off, knowing he would understand. He watched to see her eyes held unfaltering conviction at what she spoke of, and he felt an alien warmth in his chest.

Perhaps it was because of this feeling that his eyes now conveyed something akin to tenderness as he looked at her. "Woman, I do not want you to."

Her eyes were so bright with emotion and her voice quivered as she tried, "But, I really want to…I have to help you, I promised myself I would…you…you…" Her voice faltered, unable to continue as she looked searchingly into his vibrant eyes.

Still, the espada shook his head, and he watched as the hope left her eyes and tears sprang into them instead. She looked so defeated, and he felt hurt himself, but he had already decided what he had to do. It had been decided once he had stood up against his other self, and he could not take it back.

"I don't blame you, for not wanting me to…if your life was really sad, if you don't want to live anymore…I understand, and really, what can I offer to make it seem better? Nothing." She wrapped her arms around herself and looked down. "I have always lived far too optimistically about everything. I realize it now. Life doesn't always come out the way you want it to, right? You see a much sharper reality than I ever have. I wish I had your eyes, in a way, but would I be strong enough to live like that? I don't know…"

Ulquiorra looked away a moment. He knew this confession had been born from her sadness and guilt, but it troubled him that she would think this, or wish it for herself. Was it truly so, that each craved what the other held? Did she crave his eyes that saw no illusion within them the same way that he craved hers that held such hope?

"Inoue Orihime," he said gently, and she looked up at him again. "You misunderstand me. I am not prepared to die."

Finally she looked up again, her brows furrowing. "You're not?"

"No, I'm not. And while it is true that your optimism borders on naiveté, that does not mean I have a better view of life and living than you do. I am only able to keep this world intact because I have decided to embrace some of your ideals. Otherwise, surely I would have let this place crumble and die and be gone with it."

She was silent for a moment and then she asked in a small voice, "Then…why can't I help you?"

Ulquiorra sighed deeply and felt Murcielago's piercing stare upon him. "Simply because I wish for control of my own soul, for once. Remember I have served Aizen up until now. If I am to survive this, I wish it to be by my own suffering and determination to do so. Would you not wish for the same?"

"I would," she admitted, her eyes soft but distant, "I…understand what you mean."

They were silent for a moment, looking at one another. Ulquiorra felt tormented, inside, just watching her standing there, a mere arm's reach away, but knowing that he would have to let her go for a second time. If he had been his previous self, he would have grabbed her and forced her to stay with him in his dark world. But he could not now, and so even though he felt the temptation, he knew he would never act upon it.

"Ulquiorra," Murcielago called softly from behind him, warning him that there wasn't much time.

He forced himself to speak, finally, but felt himself stiffen at his own words. "You must return, woman. I am sure you have many battles ahead of you, and I have some myself."

Orihime swallowed, clenched her fists, and nodded once, before hesitation revealed itself in her honest eyes. "Will…will the sun destroy this place? Is that the problem?" Her eyes fell upon the shadow that was Murcielago as she said it, and Ulquiorra inclined his head to look at the spirit as well. The shadow stalked forward a few paces before stopping and ruffling its wings.

"Inoue Orihime, you worry almost as much as Ulquiorra. Rest easy, that sun will not rise high enough to touch me."

He cracked a fanged grin, and Orihime colored at the blunt spirits words. "Ah, um, I'm glad!" she managed shyly.

Ulquiorra turned back to her, slightly bemused, but as he looked upon her, his face fell. Was it a trick of the light or did her features appear to be thinning?

"I…hope you both make it," she said, when he was unable to speak, and he nodded stiffly.

"Be wary; do not let your guard down," he advised finally, unsure of what else he could say.

"No tears," she reminded him, her lips quirking as they both remembered their past conversation. It seemed so long ago that he had advised her in such a way. How far both of them had come since then…

Suddenly, Ulquiorra knew exactly what it was that he wished to say, what he had been unable to when he faded. "You are strong, woman. That is how I view you, so do not forget it."

Orihime gaped, a blush creeping upon her cheeks from the compliment. She opened her mouth to speak, but failed to do so.

"And, if you should forget it, then think of this," Murcielago said, "It was not the hero, Kurosaki Ichigo, who stopped the 4th Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer, dead in his tracks. It was not the hero, Kurosaki Ichigo, who saved the only Epsada to reach a second stage of ressureccion. It was Inoue Orihime who did both of those things."

She really did redden from that statement, her eyes shifting away in embarrassment. "Th-thank you," she looked back glancing at them both shyly beneath her eyelashes. "I'll remember."

Ulquiorra knew now, definitively, that her image was fading, but the sun shining through made her look all the more angelic. After what seemed like forever, she looked back up at him, and within her eyes, he saw an emotion he had never held in his life as a hollow.

Hope.

"Thank you Ulquiorra," she said, her voice strong and her face pure. "I feel, in my heart, that things will be ok. I believe in you!" Her hand was brought up and placed against her chest, right over her heart, as she spoke. She felt so much, always, and even now she wished to share her feelings with him. At least now he was willing to try and understand, and Ulquiorra felt a pang within his own chest at her action. He didn't speak, but his eyes revealed an openness he had never shared with anyone else. Because of this, he felt she would understand.

Her image shimmered in its spot for only a moment more, and then she was gone from his world. Almost immediately the tightness in his chest increased and was followed by a void. It was an emptiness he was used to; usually it was a feeling that plagued him constantly, like it did all hollows. But its sudden reappearance reminded Ulquiorra that he had not, for these few moments, felt it at all.

"What a strange woman," Murcielago commented idly when Ulquiorra didn't speak.

Slowly, Ulquiorra brought his hand up to his chest. "The heart is painful, as I thought."

The shadowy spirit moved to stand by Ulquiorra, his head cocked curiously. "Is it worth it?"

The edges of his world were crumbling; the night sky was darkening from deep navy blue to complete bottomless black at the far corners. Soon the blackness would fold in on them too, and the sun would be lost with them.

Ulquiorra closed his eyes to his dying world and saw things beyond the darkness. He saw the woman shakily stand and withdraw her shield. Her hands clenched at her sides as she gave one last look at the ashes before her. A second later, she turned, her hair a curtain of orange as she moved, and ran away from the place that had broken her. The place that had broken her and then given her new purpose. Away from the fifth tower that had changed two lives, and perhaps more.

_Was it worth it?_ The question echoed within his barely conscious mind, and he felt that she, too, must wonder this. He had never felt such pain before and had never fought back against such a pain before either. It was worse, he thought, than the emptiness of a hollow. Heartache combined with the struggle to live.

_Is it worth it?_ He felt Murcielago shift and wrap its dark wings about him and Ulquiorra knew the world beyond had fallen away. But, he now had his answer.

"Yes." She said as she ran, her thoughts switching between what had just occurred and what might happen next. But her heart remained behind her, contained within that still settling pile of ash.

_It was all worth it…_

_Till the last beat of my heart_

_

* * *

_A/N: Awww...I really want Hime to feel like this... It's nice that we seem to have some indication that she does (even Ichigo noticed!), but we will see. Hopefully I haven't made anyone too sad...I like how Ulquiorra and Orihime help each other to be strong. It's what makes this pairing better, in my mind, than other Orihime pairings. I want Orihime to be strong just like Ulquirra does.. Now, what could happen next?

Beta'd by an impatient chu

--Miss Soupy


	28. Your Guardian Angel

A/N: Sorry for taking so long getting this chapter up everyone! Both my beta and I have been pretty busy so it was delayed a bit. But this is it, finally! It was really fun writing this fic and exploring Orihime and Ulquiorra's relationship through the canon material. I also loved coming up with my version of a sweet ending for them ^^ The song I chose for this final chapter is **Your Guardian Angel** by **The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus**. Ulquiorra would go to any lengths for Orihime...and she would do the same for him.

* * *

**Your Guardian Angel**

It was early spring when Orihime stepped foot into her apartment again. When she did, she found that she couldn't speak. Instead, she stepped around her home touching things absentmindedly while trying to gauge her shockingly calm feelings. Eventually, she made it to her desk, where an open notebook lay. She noticed some writing scribbled in the corner, and her hand trembled as she reached out, her fingers smoothing over the words.

It was then that she sunk to her knees and wept.

When she had cried herself dry and shed all of her hurt, she wiped away her tears and reclaimed life. Now she could smile at the girl who had written such condemning and hopeless words; she was stronger now, so none of that worry mattered. But even so, Orihime found it was somewhat hard for her new self to suddenly be thrown into her old life. Without knowing what else to do, Orihime began cleaning her apartment, and little by little, she began feeling at home once again. She went shopping, filled her fridge with food, and baked the most ingredient packed cake she had ever made.

Slowly but surely, Orihime picked up the pieces of her shattered life. She and Tatsuki spent many long hours together in the days to come. Eventually, Orihime even was able to speak about her time in Las Noches. She told Tatsuki about the many things she had seen and felt. It was therapeutic, sharing some of her more difficult memories, but she never quite got over them completely. There was something there, a sunken part of her heart, that never seemed to let up.

Some nights, they would lay mats on the small space on the roof and star gaze. On one such occasion, when Orihime was being more silent than usual, Tatsuki made an observation.

"You've changed, you know," she stated, blowing softly over her tea as Orihime looked over at her.

Her face fell as she asked, "I have?"

Tatsuki nodded, her face betraying her amusement as she replied. "Sure. You've definitely grown up. Haven't you noticed?"

Orihime worried her lip for a moment and glanced away, thinking. "I…I suppose I have changed."

"But," Tatsuki went on, her smile unfaltering, with Orihime looking back at her in wonder, "you changed because _you_ wanted to. You didn't change for anyone but yourself."

She stared a moment, blinking, her eyes beginning to feel slightly misty as a slow smile spread across her face. "I did…"

Tatsuki bent her head towards her cup, her expression mischievous as she added, "You never used to look at the moon so much either."

Orihime found she could give no excuse for that.

---

It was raining the day she returned to her apartment after school and found a man lying on her couch. At first she had gasped, and then she spent a moment wondering if she was perhaps dreaming. Who could really blame her for her confusion? It wasn't every day that your former enemy wound up taking a nap in your home, especially when he hadn't even been invited. She watched him, unsure of what to do, and after what seemed like centuries, she saw two vivid green eyes open to observe her casually. He watched her, and she watched back, but eventually curiosity got the better of her, and she spoke.

"Ulquiorra…you-…how-" she faltered, indecisive about what was the most important question she should be asking out of the many that were forming within her mind. At last she settled on the blunt, Ulquiorra-type of question: "What are you doing here?"

He didn't answer right away and merely looked into her warm eyes - eyes that still were somewhat wary and questioning. So they should be, when looking upon someone who had been (and still might be) an enemy. He knew she wouldn't be sure, and trusting someone so easily was dangerous. It seemed she had learned and grown from her experiences, and yet her open heart remained.

"I did not know where else to go."

She blinked slowly but did not move from her spot. Her brows slid together delicately in confusion, and he could almost see the questions forming on her mind.

Ulquiorra breathed slowly and closed his eyes. "No, that is not entirely true."

How could he translate these…feelings into words? He was so unused to trying, and it had even been something with which she had difficulty, he remembered. A novice like himself would be very unpracticed at it.

In the end, he had to stop thinking about his words and just spit them out, allowing his memories and thoughts to blend into his speech. "There had been only one thought on my mind during the agonizing minutes, hours, and days it took for me to reform myself from nothing." He began, his jaw tensing at the memory of how painful it had been for him. "It was an inescapable thing that somewhat fueled my rebirth, and once I was conscious again, I thought only of seeking it out immediately. It was, of course, 'the heart'."

His eyes momentarily flickered to the spot on Orihime's chest where he knew her physical heart existed while resisting the urge to touch the spot on his own chest. Ulquiorra had honestly done so; but no matter how many times he repeated the act, it was still hard to accept it as truth.

"Still I try to grasp at it, and even now, when it must be present within me, I question it. Understanding has not been as forthcoming as I had hoped, but I am no longer hollow, and for that I feel… grateful, surprisingly. I had never noticed how dark my life had been before I glimpsed light for the first time. It could be compared to not knowing what it is like to breathe, and then suddenly taking your first breath. Another and another must then follow."

He sat up from the couch and returned his gaze to her. "It must be hard for you to understand, you who have always felt the emotions of the heart, and so strongly at that."

"I understand," she said softly, her voice quivering for reasons that escaped him, but her eyes were so bright and warm that he felt confident enough to go on.

The pull to be near her was incredibly strong, and he wondered if she would allow him to touch her. He held himself back, however, not wanting to scare her.

"I have been transformed because of you. It was you who offered your hand to me, and within that hand that was reaching for me, I felt it for the first time. You told me before that you can give a part of your heart to those you care about. And while I reached for you first, I had no heart to give yet, but you did have a heart and you also tried to grasp me. This action, though perhaps seeming insignificant to you, was something that changed my entire world."

Her eyes were glistening now, wet with tears, and he wondered if she was hurting or if, perhaps, she cried for other reasons.

"You gave me part of your heart, for reasons I still do not understand, and it was that small piece of a heart that became the center of my universe. As I previously said, I focused all of my thought and energy on that one thing, and now I have no other choice but to seek it."

Suddenly he looked lost, as if the words that fell across his mind troubled and controlled him.

"My heart is entirely yours. I could go no where else but here."

He felt vulnerable, more so than he had ever felt in his life. He did not expect anything from her really, for what could she owe him? The words needed to be said, regardless.

Her lips were parted, as if she wanted to speak but could not decide on the words to say. He did not dare approach her, for still that invisible boundary between two very different beings stopped him. Ulquiorra had no strength with regards to barriers; it was her who could cross the divide. Only her.

When she finally did react, some moments later, she did something he never expected of her. Moving, she knelt before him, brought her hands up, and placed them gently against his face. The warmth surprised him, and he looked back into her eyes, his body stilling reflexively. He was unused to being touched, but her touch was not unwelcome.

"Oh Ulquiorra…" she breathed, a kind smile upon her face even while her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. "That heart that you have is yours to control. I don't want you to think you owe me your life or anything like that. I-I'm not Aizen."

Understanding her worry, he allowed a ghost-like smile. "No," he agreed, watching as she pulled her hands away but wishing she wouldn't. "You are nothing like Aizen." He reached his hand towards her, mimicking their last time together. "That is why I can give it to you. That is why I _choose_ to."

She eyed his hand a moment, her heart stilling within her at his confession. Never before had anyone said such an important thing to her…never before had someone given her so much. It was almost frightening, knowing someone placed so much in her hands.

"I am in love with Kurosaki-kun," she whispered fearfully. He had to know, for him to say such a thing to her was so brave that he deserved to know the truth.

But his next words surprised her. "I know," he told her, unabashed, his voice gentle like silk, revealing a tenderness she never thought him capable of. She recognized it was all for her. "But the shinigami cannot hold your attention forever. As it is now, I am far too new at possessing a heart to be a suitable match for you, and you are still hoping for the shinigami to return your affections. There is time still for the both of us."

Orihime looked at his hand, taking in his words and recognizing his hope. Her face broke out into a bright smile, one that was beautiful and pure and she threaded her fingers with his, proving that their connection lasted still. His hand was still exceedingly pale, but it was warm against her palm and his grip was strong and unwavering.

"There is time," she agreed, squeezing his hand gently in acceptance.

All he wished for, right now, was to be near her and to learn all she could teach him. And she needed him as well, for he would always remind her of the strength he knew she had and allow her to stand up for herself. She would teach him acceptance and kindness, and he would teach give her courage and self-confidence. He would show her the world as he saw it, the black and white reality. She would show him how she saw the world, with all the colors and lights mixed in. Surely together, they would find the truth in it all.

---

It was quite a bit later, when Orihime went home to her apartment and found Ulquiorra sitting leisurely on the couch reading a textbook. Something clicked within her as she thought back to a time when that spot was empty and just how sad it would make her if he was not presently in it. She loved him being with her and could not bear to be without him now.

She stood unmoving in her place watching him, and he looked up curiously when she didn't move.

"Ulquiorra," she squeaked, her cheeks reddening at her realization. Thinking something was wrong, he rose and moved towards her.

"What is it, woman?" When he reached her she suddenly crushed him in a hug, her face pressed tightly against his chest.

He had to listen close for she began babbling semi-coherently into his chest, "I-I just was thinking that I like you being here. I mean, I didn't know how this would work out, but it has really well, I think. You have helped me a lot too, and I just wanted you to know it and I…I'm just really happy!"

Startled by her outburst, he held her loosely with one arm. "You are usually happy." He pointed out, unsure of what to say.

Moving back to look at him, she shook her head determinately. "No…no, I mean, more so than usual. It's like…that happiness you feel when a fabric you bought recently goes perfectly with the scarf you are trying to make. You didn't know it at first, but then it just worked out so _beautifully_, you know? Some things you can't really tell until it _happens_." Suddenly, she looked up thoughtfully. "I think I do have some nice green fabric that would go perfectly, come to think of it…"

Ulquiorra frowned. "You are babbling."

"Oh…" she bit her lip and wrung her hands, looking around as she thought of what she could possibly say to make him understand. Ulquiorra stood back, his hands firmly in the pockets of his pants. It was a shocking thing for many to see, Ulquiorra being so patient with her. Ichigo joked that the extra patience he used on her meant that he had even less patience for everyone else.

Nobody else mattered as much, however, so he couldn't be bothered caring if it was indeed true.

She looked back up at him. He looked very handsome in his specially made gigai, but then again, he looked handsome when not in the gigai as well (the only real difference was the absence of his mask, after all).

He was not bright and tan like Ichigo. Ulquiorra was pale and dark. Ichigo was tall and had a strong, broad frame. Ulquiorra was small and willowy; his movements were carefully planned and graceful in comparison. Her colors would not blend and disappear into him, as they would with Ichigo, but instead the two would contrast each other, making the other look that much more beautiful.

She didn't want to blend in and be forgotten. Orihime licked her lips before finally confessing, "I love you, Ulquiorra…"

A long, silent moment stretched out between them. Ulquiorra was silent and staring unblinkingly, and Orihime stood, cheeks reddening more and more under his gaze.

"It's alright, you don't have to say anything! I just wanted you to know, that's why I'm happy. I only just now realized it, because I've always loved Kurosaki-kun, and really, I still do, but it's not the same, somehow. It's fuzzier while this…you, well you are much more solid." Then she patted his arm with broad smile on her face and went to move around him. "Ok! Now let's see, what should we eat for dinner?"

She didn't quite make it, for as she was passing him, he grabbed her firmly by the arm, reeling her back around to face him.

"Do you not wish to know my reaction?" he asked slowly when she looked up at him.

Orihime had to think about that question for a moment, so used to heartbreak and let down was she. "Y-yes," she answered finally, flustered and yet hopeful.

"Very well. But first, I must have you clarify this love that you are admitting to, for I have learned that love is a very complex thing. There are different types, or so you have said."

Oh, why did he have to be so calm about it? Orihime had the inkling he was trying to push her buttons. He did that sometimes, and he could be very sly about it.

"W-well," she began but was cut off.

"Come now woman, or need I rip open your chest to find out, or crack open your skull?"

"H-huh?"

"You must answer, this is not a negotiation." He was moving closer with an odd look on his face. "Why do you hesitate? Let me tell you, it's because you're-"

"Ulquiorra!" she shrieked, finally realizing what he was doing. Ulquiorra was so good at being serious, it was hard to tell when he was joking, and this had been a very clever joke, she had to admit. His lips twitched faintly, but she looked into his eyes knowing that was where she could read him. It was there that she saw the humor, and she couldn't help but laugh.

Finally she sighed, "You got me…" then she looked thoughtful and said, "Weren't we different back then? When you said those things, I felt so _sad_. I had never known someone who didn't feel the emotions of the heart. It got my attention."

Ulquiorra shifted his eyes to the side, thinking back. "I believe the goal had been to scare you, somewhat, though underneath it all I had wanted answers. You always needed to be pushed. You were so…frustrating, to say the least." Green eyes moved back to her. "And still are."

Orihime beamed. "Oh Ulquiorra, I think you like me, deep down."

"You need not look that deep to know this, woman."

"And you did promise me your heart."

"So I did."

"Though, sometimes things change…I once lied about the very same thing. Well it wasn't a lie then, but I want to take it back now. I'm sure this time though."

"I do not change so easily. No matter how many times I tried to reason with myself, remind myself that you are far too colorful and loud, and how you babble on about things I don't understand, and you get far too excited over every little thing…I cannot remove that feeling of completeness I receive from being in your presence. I have concluded that putting up with all of that is a fair exchange just to be with _you_."

This time she did cry. He was so sweet without knowing it, really. When had he learned how to speak to a girl? Or, more specifically, speak to her heart? Here she was, a girl who had known love and lost it, and found it again and still she was reduced to a sobbing mess.

"Ul..qui.." she tried, but already he was wrapping her in his arms, one hand cradling the back of her head as she sniffled against him.

"It is remarkable how a female can produce tears for so many different emotions," he commented against her hair, his voice gentle and thoughtful, and she loved the sound.

_This is right_, she thought, feeling settled at last, as if her heart had finally returned home.

He was kissing her head, her hair, her temple. Ulquiorra didn't need to be taught how to love her; some things just came naturally. Her face lifted up to him, and it was like the sun shining after a rain, bright and promising, but in her eyes reflected the night and she looked to it without fear. The moon danced along the edges of the dawn and was fulfilled by its light, and the darkness was cast away.

"Woman…woman," he called quietly, over and over, interweaving the words with his gentle, needy kisses.

He held her tightly, desperately and she clung just as desperately back. The two sighed deeply together, wrapped up in each others arms and love, forgetting all else. Nothing had ever felt so perfect.

It was simply completion of their worlds.

_I will never let you fall_

_I'll stand up with you forever_

_I'll be there for you through it all_

_Even if saving you sends me to heaven_

_

* * *

_A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed the ending to this fic! I am considering writing a prequel story of sorts revolving around Ulquiorra and his struggles before meeting Orihime. It seems like it would be really interesting to write about (I love him!). Come to think of it, it might also be fun to add some side stories that deal with what occurred between Ulquiorra showing up at Orihime's apartment and Orihime realizing she fell in love with him...but I won't make any promises ;) I guess keep an eye out! Thank you for reading :)

Beta'd by a wonderful, mysterious, adorable, scrutinizing, malibu, genius, alluring, quirky, squishable, fantasitcal, sexy, fanciful, spellbound, inglourious, gathering, chootie, extravagant, kingly, impatient, AMAZING, AWESOME chu

-Miss Soupy


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